Behind the Crystal
by Trynia Merin
Summary: The new science teacher is out of shape. When Sportacus encourages her to excercise, more is revealed about the organization that trained him! And what does she know about him being from Iceland? 1st in series! sequel by Dreamweaver1985
1. Living in Lazytown

_Disclaimer: I don't own the characters of Lazy Town. They belong to their respective company of the same name. I am just borrowing the characters for this fan fiction. I only own Readsmore and Lidenbrock, but the name of the latter is somewhat inspired by Jules Verne's character from Journey to the Center of the Earth. Just what this has to do with Sportacus you'll see if you read the story. Thanks to fanatic for pointing out a glaringly obvious boo boo:blush: They should be in fourth grade, not sixth! _

**Behind the Crystal**

_By Trynia Merin_

Author's note: I'm trying my hand at a Sportacus fic. The fact he's from Iceland made me think of one of Jules Verne's books which is set partly in Iceland. Just where I'll go with this I'm not sure. But please comment if you like!

* * *

Inside the fourth grade science class, the small group of students watched their new science teacher as she carried in a large cardboard box. Setting it on the front desk, she then pulled out a geological hammer, magnifying glass and a microscope. She cleared her throat standing before the chalkboard then wrote the words, "earth science." 

"All right, today we're going to learn a little about one of my favorite subjects, different types of rocks. I know you've had a bit of earth science last term, but have you ever…"

"Igneous, metamorphic and sedimentary," Pixel shot his hand up.

"Excuse me, I think you're supposed to raise your hand first," Stephanie hissed at him.

"You're right. Those ARE the three basic forms of rock," Miss Lidenbrock nodded. "I didn't realize you were so interested in earth science as well as electronics!"

"I dunno, it was interesting," Pixel said.

"Well what else do you know about earth science?" asked Lidenbrock, sitting down on the desk and asking the rest of her class. Several hands shot up.

"Oh… oh… there's this way cool experiment you can do with making a volcano out of baking soda that…" Trixie blurted out.

"That was MY project idea last year!" the boy to her left interjected.

"I saw something on TV about it taking YEARS and YEARS for rain to wear down rocks!" the hyperactive kid, Ziggy bounced in his chair.

"Sounds like all of you have a good idea of what I'm taking about. That's great," the teacher laughed. " Geology is what they call the study of rock science. And speaking off…"

"I have LOTS of pretty rocks," Stingy sniffed with pride.

"I happen to have a few here to show you," said Miss Lidenbrock, opening the box to her left. She held out several different stones, some rough, and some smooth and shiny. "And like Ziggy said, some take thousands of years to go from this one here… to this one…."

She soon passed the individual rocks around the class. "Why's this one so light! I thought rocks were heavy!" Ziggy bounced in his chair in excitement.

"That's pumice. One of the lightest stones formed in a volcano," said Miss Lidenbrock.

"Oh yes and the other type of volcanic rock is this glass here, isn't it?" Stephanie asked, pointing to the piece of sharp shiny glass.

"No way! It looks like glass!" Trixie snorted, unimpressed.

"It IS glass. Fused silica," said Miss Lidenbrock.

"Wow," Trixie shook her head. Rocks made the circuit of the room.

"I'd like each of you to pick a rock you like, and do a bit of reading on it. Call it a bit of a book report, since each of you already knows a bit of earth science, we can each read them when we get back from the weekend," Miss Lidenbrock said.

"Oh man, homework," Trixie rolled her eyes.

"How many pages?" Stingy asked, palming through his notebook, and counting the loose-leaf paper left.

"Two to three. In addition, if you need some ideas, just ask! I'll be here so if you need any help, just call…"

"Or email?" Pixel asked.

"Email," the young science teacher nodded.

Just then the bell rang, and the students all hastened to push their books into their bags. First out of his seat Ziggy bounded out to the door. Trixie pushed him aside, and Miss Lidenbrock quickly stood up shouting for order.

"Miss Lidenbrock, could I do my paper about quartz?"

"Of course Stephanie," said the science teacher. "Unless you still need more time to catch up since you just entered the class two weeks ago."

Dark brown eyes gleamed with enthusiasm as Stephanie said, "Oh no I'll do the work just like everyone else! I've got all the books I need, and Mrs. Busybody did say the text was the same one we used back home…"

At the mention of those words, the teacher saw Stephanie's dark eyes cloud a bit. Quietly she said, "Is anything wrong?"

"Um well, it's just getting used to a new school and all. I mean I won't have any trouble with the work," she said, hiding the look behind a sweet smile.

"If you need to talk, I'm a listening ear," said Miss Lidenbrock sweetly. "You're not the only newcomer here…"

"I've been here BEFORE… I mean I spent last summer here…"

"I just moved to Lazytown. I worked here but I'm just buying a house," said Miss Lidenbrock. "So I know it's not easy to adjust to actually having your home in a new place. You may just have visited in the past, but it's entirely different to LIVE there."

"Because you can't go home," Stephanie nodded.

"But if you'd rather not talk about it, that's all right too," Miss Lidenbrock said. A hint of her German accent had come out, and Stephanie chuckled a bit.

"You're from Germany aren't you? I mean I've been there before, but it was when I was only a little girl traveling on vacation with my family…"

"It's been a while since I've been back. However, I rather like it here. Reminds me of where I grew up. Anyhow, do you have any more questions about the report, Stephanie?" asked Miss Lidenbrock.

"No I'm fine. But I'll call or stop by if I have any. Say where are you going to be living?"

"Restful Street," said Miss Lidenbrock.

"That's not far from where my uncle… I mean I live," she said brightly. "So if I do have a question I can always stop by and visit."

"Sounds good if that's all right with your uncle," said Miss Lidenbrock. "You'd better run along now. Your friends are probably waiting for you…"

"Yeah, I was supposed to meet them at the basketball court after class!" Stephanie checked her watch. She bounded off, pink hair fluttering around her as she left. Through the window, the science teacher could see her students excitedly talking about whatever nine-year-olds did. Folding her arms across her chest, she chuckled to remember her own childhood days.

This was why she was happy when the Mayor's niece had come to town. Stephanie, the star of her class who was as smart as she was talented at dancing. It was not easy to find many students who were well rounded like she. However, Stephanie was holding back, Gretchen thought. Something about the way she got a faraway look in her eye then snapped back the next moment.

"I know it's not my business, but she IS one of my students," Miss Lidenbrock thought. She gathered her books together and put on her sweater. Soon she began the short walk to the new home she was renting.

Ever since she had come from Intellectual City, she had been well received in the small country town. There were only a few children of elementary school age, and she had done her best to be a jack of all trades. While she was not the only teacher, she had the kids for a good amount of time in Lazytown elementary. A few kids from some of the other hamlets also were bussed in for a combined school.

At first the teacher commuted to a small house, she shared with her parents in Whisperville. She had done a good deal of teaching at the elementary school there, but she wanted a challenge. She would only come to Lazytown in the fall after an ad in the paper said that new teachers were needed. Therefore, after packing up what she had she had driven on windy country roads to the sleepy place. What she found was not quite what she expected. She was no athlete by any means, but she DID like to take a walk. It was one of the other teachers, Mrs. Colleen Readsmore, which convinced her to think about renting a home in the town itself.

_"You commute every day. Lord knows how much gasoline you burn up," Mrs. Readsmore had said._

_"Very true," Miss Lidenbrock mumbled. "And Whisperville's rent is rather stiff. But lazytown is so… small…"_

_"But that's what makes it a good place to live. At least recently," Mrs. Readsmore nodded._

_"I had heard the kids going on and on about strange things happening this past summer. And it seems I see them out playing a whole lot more then when I first came on an interview here past semester," Gretchen nodded. _

_"Why don't you check out the ad for the bungalow near the park. It's a small one bedroom, and I know you should be able to afford it on a teacher's salary," Readsmore encouraged her._

_"I think I'll check it out. Since it's within walking distance," she nodded. Both teachers got up from the picnic table they had eaten lunch at, and went back into the small school building to finish their day of classes.

* * *

_

On the way to her new home, Miss Lidenbrock walked past the basketball court. Stephanie was zipping all over the macadam, wearing a pair of sneakers, her short skirt flapping. Close behind her was the girl Trixie, struggling to steal the ball. It seemed all right the way she was rapidly playing with her friends, so the teacher waved and continued her stroll down the main road. Past a blue mailbox she stopped, and saw the strange pneumatic tube hooked into it. She then thought little of it, walking along with a chuckle. Overhead a shadow passed, and she raised her hand to block her eyes as the sun was obscured by what appeared to be a sort of blimp.

"There it is again," she commented, narrowing her eyes. It spent most of its time circling the town. Sometimes it was overhead while the school droned on. Other times it was hovering by the Mayor's home. Now it seemed to be dropping in altitude somewhere by the basketball court. Intrigued, the schoolteacher set down her bag and strode back to the court.

Miss Lidenbrock moved closer and sat on the park bench to watch the game. She waved to Stephanie, who stopped and smiled at her. Then the game continued uninterrupted. One minute the children played their game, and she saw a blur of blue suddenly flip into the midst of the rapidly dashing cluster. Shouts and laughs came as they stopped and crowded around the newcomer. The sunlight beamed brightly in her eyes and she soon realized it was none other then the town's protector Colleen had told her about.

She caught a glimpse of the sleek blue outfit and a pointed cap sticking over the heads of the kids as he suddenly spoke in a rapid accent. He seemed to be suggesting to the kids what positions they could play. Soon they had all resumed their impromptu game as they spread out like ripples from a stone tossed in the water. Unlike sinking like dead weight, Number 10 shot all over the court like quicksilver. She heard the clunk of the ball rapidly tapping on asphalt followed by the tap of Stephanie tossing it to him. He then shot up nearly ten feet in the air to slam the ball through the net with ease.

"Yay! One for Sporticus and Stephanie!" shouted Stephanie's clear cheerful voice.

As towns go, Lazytown was small, friendly, and intimate. Things that go wrong would go wrong, but it was never anything that could be handled by its inhabitants or by the hero sworn to protect it. Only a year or so ago had there been a need for someone to pen a letter and shoot it skywards to number 9, a mysterious figure that she had hardly seen but heard of all the way back in Intellectual city. In her own childhood, a hero had protected her village from any danger. Captain Nimrod was well known and liked. Everyone knew that they would be watched over from the 'eagle's nest' he had perched high on the nearby mountainside. Because the town was in a valley, the town Hero could easily see what was happening. With his flamboyant broad brimmed hat he would swoop down on any unsuspecting town bully and use his strength and his crossbow to deal with the threat. Some purse-snatchers had ended up plastered to the side of the town hall by a dozen little bolts pinning him neatly by his shoulders.

After another few minutes, Sportacus happened to swing around and land his eyes on the teacher sitting there. Sticking the ball under his muscular arm, he strode off the court towards her. "Hey, why don't you join us, Miss?" he asked politely.

"Who me?" the teacher blinked. "No I couldn't. You've already got a game going!"

"Hi Miss Lidenbrock, you saw me out there?" laughed Ziggy excitedly.

"Oh it's not a problem is it kids? What do you say, another player makes it more fun?" Number 10 asked turning to his 'team'.

"I'd make a fool out of myself. You go on and I'll just cheer!"

"C'mon, we won't laugh," Stephanie said, moving forwards with her hand held out.

"No I'd just embarrass myself," the teacher said nervously.

"No you wouldn't! C'mon it will be fun!" Sportacus urged.

* * *


	2. Shooting Hoops

_Disclaimer: I don't own the characters of Lazy Town. They belong to their respective company of the same name. I am just borrowing the characters for this fan fiction. I only own Readsmore and Lidenbrock, but the name of the latter is somewhat inspired by Jules Verne's character from Journey to the Center of the Earth. The fact he's from Iceland made me think of one of Jules Verne's books which is set partly in Iceland, Journey to the Center of the Earth and it got me thinking of an idea for a fic. Just where I'll go with this I'm not sure. But please comment if you like!_

**Behind the Crystal **

**Chapter 2**

By Trynia Merin

* * *

"Seriously? But It's been years since I even shot a ball through a hoop!" she admitted, shaking her head and pushing her glasses up onto her forehead. 

"Years?" the town hero suddenly blinked at her. "You're joking!"

"Um, Sportacus, she's our SCIENCE teacher," Trixie blinked up at him.

"As in reading behind a desk and quiet," Stingy chimed in. "She's MY science teacher!"

"So, there's no harm in a little exercise," Sportacus urged, striding towards her. She took a step back and chuckled nervously.

"But you're all so good and well..."

"We'll take it slow, don't you worry. Come on, it will be no trouble, I promise," Sportacus said as politely as he could. Stephanie and the others were glancing back and forth.

"I'll probably be stiff as a board, and I'm not exactly dressed to play anyhow," she said.

"When are we gonna play my game?" Stingy whined.

"You go on ahead, I'll find Ma'am here some gym shoes and she can join us! It's no problem," he turned to the kids. The teacher suddenly felt quite awkward, but as he tossed the ball Stephanie caught it, and turned to her friends.

"Seriously this is silly, I don't want to interrupt your fun!"

"Who says you're interrupting our fun Miss… miss…?" he said brightly. "They don't mind! If you've been teaching all day, this is the best time to get a bit of a workout in. Everyone should at least stretch and go for a light jog. Or maybe you prefer working out before…"

"I don't work out, sir," she blinked. "I um…"

"You don't? Then what type of excercize do you like?" he asked innocently enough. Rolling her eyes she didn't even think to know why the town hero thought it was a crisis that she didn't want to join in a child's game. The way his brow creased a bit beneath the brim of his cap showed Sportacus considered her lack of physical activity a matter worthy of superhero attention.

"I usually just take a brisk walk every day, for fifteen minutes," she said defensively, not exactly sure why she was feeling so annoyed, or if she was a bit nervous because she liked how well his costume seemed to fit.

"What size shoe do you wear?"

"Seven and a half," she said. "I'd just look like an idiot. I'm not into basketball."

Cupping his hands to his mouth he shouted up into the air, "Size seven and a half… Sneakers!"

Two objects dropped down and he launched himself up to catch them. When he landed he held a pair of white canvas sneakers in his grasp, then held them out to her. "Brand new, not used. It's no trouble at all."

"Why do I get the sense you're not going to give up on this," she said quickly.

"There's no need to be embarrassed Miss… ah… Lidenbrock was it?"

"Oh well, I guess I'll give it a shot," she sighed, realizing he was not going to give up, and she did not want to give a bad example to her students.

_Just like a superhero, even an above average one, she had an image to maintain_. Quickly she lifted a leg and reached down to her shoe, and Sportacus squatted, nodding she could lean down on his shoulder to pull off her work shoes. Under her hand, his spandex suit was warm, and she felt very self-conscious. Although the bouncing of the ball and the squeak of shoes on the court indicated the kids were occupied she felt as if someone was watching her change into the sneakers.

"You don't know when to quit, do you? I mean no offense, but don't you have something better to do then make sure the science teacher gets her twenty minutes of aerobics in?" she blinked at him, straightening up and brushing her skirt off.

"Well, not getting the proper excercize as an adult IS a crisis," Sportacus answered, his face serious as he folded his arms over his chest and fixed her in a stare. "If you don't have your health, it can be a disaster down the road, Miss Lidenbrock!"

"Okay you've got a point," she relented. "And my name's Gretchen. I mean since we ARE both adults and all there's no need to be so formal. Especially when I'm borrowing shoes for crying out loud."

"Come on… if it's been a while you might want to stretch first…" he urged cheerfully, holding out a hand to her. Not believing she was quite doing this she let him take it and lead her to the shade of a tree.

"Captain Nimrod never pushed his agenda on the schoolteachers. All he ever did was come and give archery lessons to us," she mumbled.

"You knew Captain Nimrod?" Sportacus asked, slowly bending one knee and angling his body to the side. She did the same, wincing as her stiff body refused to go down as far. Then she leaned over to touch her toes. To her annoyance, he could easily rest the flats of both hands on the ground while bending over.

"He was our town hero," she said.

"I knew him in hero training school," Sportacus laughed. "He was one of the teachers…."

"Seriously," Gretchen chuckled, then attempted to squat down and push her hands before her. She watched as Sportacus pressed both hands on either sides of his hips and scissored his legs in perfect splits.

"I can't do THAT wearing a skirt, and I can't do that anyhow, I'm too old," she muttered.

"Nobody's too old for excercize," Sportacus chided. He came out of the splits and then effortlessly climbed to his feet.

"True, I suppose I have let myself go. But don't expect me to go cart wheeling through the town because of this," she blinked up at him. He extended a hand to help her up, but she managed to stiffly stand up again.

"Feel better?"

"Not exactly," she answered. "After this I'll be lucky if I can walk."

"Then you REALLY need to work out," he tisked.

"Just when it would be convenient to have a cat run up a tree," she said. Sportacus eagerly motioned her towards the basketball court and she found herself following. Her eyes rested on the number 10 sewn on the back of his vest looking just like a sports jersey.

Even in Intellectual City, there was the hero Super Cerebellum. Who used his knowledge of technology to build many robots that would go about policing the city of any crime. Everyone was used to the notion of a 'town hero'. She just had not expected one in such a small place like Lazytown.

Not every hero played so readily with the inhabitants. Not that she was any expert on the subject, but Gretchen could not keep her eyes off the nimble footed elf. That hat was a dead giveaway, as was the quick light-footedness, and the strange gleam of the badge that glinted on the front of his chest, bearing the number ten. Most heroes had such a device. Something that would warn them when danger came.

"Aww just give it a few baskets," he said, glancing over his shoulder at her. The kids had sat on the edge of the cement, all huffing, and puffing except for Trixie and Stephanie who were still going strong. After the last slam-dunk, the ball whirled off out of Stephanie's control and into Sportacus' hand that snaked out.

"You can be on my team," Stephanie said.

"You mean you're gonna play, Miss Lidenbrock? Does this mean I get extra credit if I let you on my team?" Trixie asked.

"Nice try," Gretchen laughed nervously. Rolling her eyes, she let herself be pulled into the game with the students.

* * *

A half-hour later, Gretchen dropped onto the park bench. She huffed and puffed, sweat pouring down her face in small droplets. Her sweater hung to the side, and she had a few tendrils of dark hair dangling to the side. Stephanie plopped down next to her, pushing a water bottle into her hand. 

"Here… you look like you could use this Ma'am!"

"Thank you…" huffed Gretchen, taking the bottle of water and cracking the cap with manicured fingers. "I… hope… I can get up tomorrow."

"You're such a good sport!" Stephanie laughed. "You didn't HAVE to join us…."

"Sportacus 10 insisted. He's not exactly someone you say no to," said Gretchen, wiping away sweat with the back of her hand. She had rolled up the sleeves of her blouse, and was thankful she had her hair pulled back. In her chest her heart hammered, and she could barely stop the flushing blood.

"Are you okay teach?" Trixie asked, grabbing a bottle of water from a cooler that had mysteriously arrived. Because of the number ten on its side and lid, Gretchen was sure it was from that airship hovering overhead. Other kids sat around, catching pieces of fruit the town hero was tossing them from a basket nearby.

"I'm dead," she mumbled, fanning herself. She swigged down half the bottle, and gasped for breath. "How can he NOT be sweating?"

"Well he DOES play every day after school," said Stephanie brightly. "Are you sure you're okay?"

"If I get you an apple will I get an extra ten points?" Trixie asked, grabbing up an apple and holding it out to the teacher.

"Let's just say I'll overlook the next time you throw a spitball at someone," Gretchen wearily smiled, and accepted the apple. While she would have preferred something else, it was better then nothing. With a crunch she tasted the tartness of it sliding over her palate, combining with the good wetness of the water she sipped.

"There you see, it was fun wasn't it?" an accented voice asked. Just before her Sportacus face bobbed into view. He crouched a bit before her, blue eyes twinkling merrily into her light coppery ones. Her dark brown hair was moist with sweat, and he gently handed her a white towel that had been hanging around her neck.

"I'll admit that. But that's the last time you twist my arm," she said, dabbing sweat from her face.

"You're always welcome to play anytime. A good bit of basketball never hurt anyone. Just perhaps someone out of shape," he lectured.

"You should consider teaching phys Ed at the school," she blinked at him. "Or would that interfere with your heroic duties."

Sportacus laughed at this, and she liked the sound of it. Something was infectious about his energy, and she still felt flushed. Was it because she was still pounding with blood or was it because she liked the pleasantness of his features? He was male, she was female. Yet, both were in positions of public scrutiny. For a hero to fraternize with a citizen carried certain caveats. She pushed the crazy thought from her mind and scolded herself to focus on remaining professional distance.

After all, what athletic muscle bound superhero, even a slightly above average one, would look twice at a bookworm? Especially an out of shapes one with a bit of generous weight around the waist, arms, and thighs? The formal tailored clothes hid her stomach and legs well, but she still knew the flab was there and she felt embarrassed by it.

"Are you all right, Miss Lidenbrock?" he asked. He was being formal for the benefits of the kids, she thought.

"I'm fine, Mr. Sportacus," she answered, emphasis on the mister. "Thank you for a rather invigorating time. I will definitely increase my exercise from now on…"

"That's good!" he laughed, standing up and beaming at her as if she had given him an A plus on a paper. "You see, it's not so hard to get back to being healthy as you might think!"

"So is your work here done?" she blinked. As if on cue his badge flashed and he glanced down with all the alarm a hero would when knowing someone needed his help.

"Someone's in trouble, excuse me kids, but I've got to go!" he said. "It was nice meeting you, Miss Lidenbrock! I hope you join us again!"

Soon his words vanished as he flipped head over hands and tumbled away. She found herself laughing at the typical gestures of a town hero, and dabbed more sweat away form her face. Smiling at the kids giving her strange looks, she stood up. "Remember you all still have homework to do!"

"Aw rats!" Ziggy snapped his fingers.

"Dang it," Trixie added.

"I suppose I have to go home and work on MY report after I eat my dinner," Stingy said.

"Bye!" everyone waved. Still panting, Miss Lidenbrock turned to Stephanie.

"Since we live close by Stephanie, perhaps you'd care to join me in walking home?" the teacher suggested. "It is getting late…."

"Sure. We're all safe with Sportacus around, but I'd love to see where you'd be living since we'll be neighbors. I'm sure Uncle will insist on baking you a cake and inviting you over," she said.

* * *


	3. Other town heroes?

_Disclaimer: I don't own the characters of Lazy Town. They belong to their respective company of the same name. I am just borrowing the characters for this fan fiction. I only own Readsmore and Lidenbrock, but the name of the latter is somewhat inspired by Jules Verne's character from Journey to the Center of the Earth. Just what this has to do with Sportacus you'll see if you read the story._

**Behind the Crystal**

**Chapter 3**

By Trynia Merin

* * *

Her words proved prophetic. For when they stopped at Stephanie's home, she was whisked in by Miss Busybody and the Mayor and invited. Of course she insisted on a change of clothes first and returned soon with Stephanie ushering her in. Soon she sat around the small wooden table neatly set and grabbed the plate of stew as it passed. It dawned on her it was the second time today she had just let things happen instead of retreating to the quiet of her solitary new home. Never mind that she had two cats that were elegant company. Nevertheless, it DID feel a bit quiet and empty without children or someone to share it with.

"I met the town hero," said Gretchen Lidenbrock. "He's from Iceland."

"You can tell that quickly?" Mayor Meanswell asked, clearly impressed.

"The accent's a dead giveaway," said Gretchen with a chuckle.

"She HAS traveled a lot," said Bessie with a slight hint of annoyance to the Mayor, who had assumed nobody would notice such a fact so easily or readily.

"At first I thought he was from Norway or Sweden," Stephanie admitted.

"Well it's not as if we have many people from Iceland visiting Lazytown but him," said Mayor Meanswell a bit shyly.

"I take it you're familiar with what someone from Iceland sounds like?" Bessie said politely.

"Considering I'd lived there for a time," she said.

"When was this?" Stephanie asked. "How long?"

"There are fascinating rock formations and volcanoes in Iceland, that's why. My mother and father were both geologists, and took us children along on their trips. So, I've been many places around the world. I guess I carried on the family tradition of science when I became a schoolteacher," she said.

"So those rocks you collected were they from your growing up?" asked Stephanie.

"Some yes, others were ones that I picked up on trips I've taken more recently," said Gretchen, sipping on a glass of lemonade.

"Your name sounds German, but oddly familiar," Mayor Meanswell commented, after swallowing a mouthful of beef stew.

Bessie dabbed her face demurely with a napkin, and turned to look at the science teacher. "Well Colleen Readsmore did send me your references and I do recall knowing a Professor Otto, was he your father?"

"Yes. Named after his great granduncle, who was also a famous geologist nearly a hundred years ago," said Gretchen. "And I was named after my great grandmother. Who married my great grandfather Axel in Germany all those years ago."

"You mean you're descended from that professor who…" Bessie blinked at her.

"You mean the one that claimed he'd gone to the center of the earth?" asked the Mayor with wide eyes.

"You mean he actually existed?" Stephanie blinked. "But I thought it was just a work of fiction!"

"He did exist. But it's not something we talk about to just anyone," Gretchen said softly, a look of embarrassment on her face. "That's the problem with having such a name, considering that it links you to some rather interesting tidbits of history."

"There WAS a professor Otto Von Lidenbrock, whose exploits were recorded in the book by Jules Verne. He was so proud of himself he didn't want his name changed," Gretchen chuckled. "I think that's why my father was named after his ancestor. He was just as stubborn and devoted to geology. I think rock hunting is in my blood."

"But whether or not he reached the center of the earth was in dispute. I suppose that's why the family was more comfortable assuming it was just a fanciful invention by Mister Jules Verne?" Bessie guessed.

"You have it. Oddly enough, my granduncle Heinrich was known for another reason, but it had nothing to do with finding the center of the world. If you know about the hero who protects Glacierville in my native Germany…"

"Lucky Lidenbrock, the hero known for being so in tune with nature he can divert an avalanche with his singing alone?" Mayor Meanswell blinked.

"The very one. He went to the same hero academy as Captain Nimrod, the hero that I knew growing up in my hometown. And no doubt the same place where Mr. Sportacus ten got his hero education," Gretchen said.

"Heroes go to a training school?" Stephanie blinked.

"Well, yes. Number 9 said that he had. But they don't mention it much. Except to those they know most. But since you are such good friends with Sportacus I see no harm in speaking of it openly, Miss Lidenbrock. I assumed that's why you're so candid with your history," said Mayor Meanswelle.

"Yes. I wouldn't blab about this to just anyone, you know. Most Mayors DO know their town heroes well enough," said Gretchen with a chuckle.

"Wow, I wonder what Sportacus was like in school. I mean I knew he's from Iceland but I assumed he learned to be a hero there…"

"All heroes go to an Academy before they receive their assignment. I only know so much because of my uncle being one," she admitted.

That evening she sat on the front porch of her house, staring up at the stars. Distant sounds of children playing reached her ears, and she heard a faint whirring. A soft puff of air breathed on her face and she wrapped the robe more firmly around her. Setting down the mug of decaffeinated coffee, she glanced up.

"Darn, I forgot to give him his shoes back," she mumbled. Remembering the mailbox, she rushed into her house to find pen and paper. Soon she scribbled a note, and stuffed it into a small tube. Fitting it into the launching unit, she then pulled the lever back.

* * *

A few minutes later she was walking back to her house. From overhead, something landed with a thump causing her to yelp. She turned to face his dark shape in the lights of the moon and streetlamps overhead beaming on the street.

"It's a bit late for a lady to be out at this time?" came an accented voice. "I got your mail…."

"Sorry to disturb you, but I thought you'd want your shoes back," she said, handing them to him.

"Oh that's not necessary," he chuckled. "Consider them a gift…."

"A gift?"

"A welcome to town gift?" Sportacus asked. "It's rather chilly out. Would you allow me to walk you home?"

"That's not necessary, but thank you anyway," she said. His arm extended in the dark, and she slipped her wrist through it. Her own voice had a slight German accent to it, which tended to get thicker when she was upset or extremely happy.

"A hero can't just let a woman walk back in the dark unescorted," he teased. "Especially when it's dark out."

"I'm sure if I tripped and fell that badge of yours would go off," she giggled lightly. "It's not far. I can make it the rest of the way."

"It's no trouble," he insisted, waving his hand through the dark. "You could have kept the shoes…."

"It's not every day somebody gets me a present," she said.

"You live near Stephanie then?" Sportacus said with a hint of amusement. "That's why I saw you two walking home together…."

"You were watching us? I thought you had some great emergency that needed doing," she teased back.

"I watch everyone in Lazy town. That's part of being a hero…"

"I'm just giving you a hard time," she interrupted. "Really it's nice to know that someone's watching over you, keeping you safe. Although there must be some other place you're needed more?"

"No I don't think so. Stephanie wrote that there was a problem in Lazytown and I was sent," Sportacus disagreed. They reached the front porch of her home, the light from a single lamp shining rectangles of gold onto the street.

"Here I am. Thanks for walking me back. Can I offer you something in return?"

"That's not necessary, it's not a problem," he said.

"Well since you gave me the shoes the least I can do is invite you in and let you have some hot chocolate or tea or something," she said.

"Is it sugar free?" he asked.

"Its no trouble," she said, leading him up the stairs. "Just wait here and I'll go make you some. It's so nice out that I often like to drink something hot before I settle in… for the night."

She didn't expect him to be there when she emerged from her home. Yet Sportacus was there waiting, finishing a round of pushups on the wooden floor of her porch. At the sound of the screen door tapping behind her, he leapt up to his feet. "Ah, thank you!" he said, accepting the mug she handed him.

"Just can't sit still can you?" she said, lowering herself to sit in the small chair she had next to a table. One of the cats brushed past her ankles as she indicated the second chair where he could sit.

"Oh no I'm quite fine standing, I hope that's all right. I don't mean to be rude, but it's hard for me to sit still for any length of time," he insisted, his body still brimming with energy. He took a sip of the beverage after she tasted hers, then nodded with a smile.

"Why am I not surprised," she asked, as he finally leaned against the wall of the house, and glanced down at her with crossed legs.

"This is quite good! Nutrasweet or Splenda?" he asked.

"The former. A health nut like you wouldn't have anything else, unless it was honey," she said.

"Well it does depend," he trailed off. "I hope you enjoy your stay here. I realize I must have been a bit… pushy earlier but the thought of anyone NOT exercising does come under my hero's code to do something about…"

"It was for a good cause. Considering your name and persona," she chuckled. "I don't mind. I wouldn't expect you to be any other way."

"Ah good. I do forget myself sometimes… especially around people who aren't from Lazytown… and aren't familiar with my mission to…"

"It's all right. Don't worry. If it were Intellectual City you know that the hero there would insist everyone read a book instead of watching TV," she laughed.

"Mmm, speaking of, how is your uncle doing?" Sportacus asked.

She almost spat out the drink she swallowed. She coughed and Sportacus rushed over to pat her on the back hard. "What?"

"Oh I'm sorry… I didn't mean to startle you."

"No, I'm fine. Just a surprise. So you know him?" she asked.

"Another classmate. A little ahead of me. You seemed so comfortable using the mail tube I assumed you were familiar with heroes. Not everyone would so quickly know how to contact me."

"Stephanie could have told me, or the Mayor could have," she said.

"But you knew about my badge. And as I recall you've only just moved here," he pointed out, handing her a napkin and helping her to dab away the stain on her robe. "And there's the matter of your name."

"Oh? Well I assume not all the heroes knew all of their classmates at the academy," she answered.

"He did speak about having family that visited Iceland on trips," he admitted. "And he and I were in a few classes together."

"Which ones?"

"Heroic gestures 101, and Posturing," Sportacus said, his face partly muffled by the cup as he took another sip.

"He, well I haven't seen him for a while. As far as I know what he's written he's still the Hero in Glacierville in southern Germany," said Gretchen with a smile.

"Its not often I meet someone who knows... about the Academy. But as a hero we're trained to put pieces together," he said.

"Even if you're a physical powers based hero?"

"Well just because I train my body doesn't mean I don't train my mind you know," Sportacus said with a hint of hurt in his voice. "I MAY not be like Super Cerebellum or Captain Know it all… but I do try to exercise my mind. And you can't learn properly if you don't get enough…"

"I'm sorry, I didn't mean it like that," she interrupted him. Her hand rested on his to get his attention. "I just guess I valued book knowledge over physical prowess. I'm not exactly the world class athlete. Not everyone can cartwheel their way through life."

"Well, I did my best to keep your uncle from being picked on. Even if he was an upperclassman," Sportacus admitted. "And he DID help me pass Crime Scene 231… the class where a hero…"

"Learns to determine the villain's plot, yes," she completed.

"Sports heroes still have to learn as much as mental heroes," he snorted. Still she could tell she had hit a nerve with Sportacus 10.

"Sportacus I am sorry. I didn't mean to insult you. Honestly," she blurted out. She realized that her hand still rested on his, and she felt the need to slip her fingers around his and give it a squeeze.

"I know, it's just that you are a schoolteacher and reading and such are so important… and that you said you didn't excercize I assumed you had something against sports," he rambled, his accent thickening.

"It's okay. Really," she said. Sportacus let his hand remain in hers, and relaxed. He actually had stopped his nervous fidgeting and sat down next to her on the open chair.

"I know, I guess we BOTH jumped to conclusions," he chuckled awkwardly. "I admit the only person I ever can talk about being a hero to is Stephanie… and suddenly you're here… someone who knows about… the association! And something about where I'm from."

"By association," she added. "It's just funny that you got assigned to a town here instead of Iceland or something."

"Well not many towns there need heroes," Sportacus said quietly. "If you know about the Association they send us where we're needed or asked for. And Number 9 said the position was open so I took it."

As they were talking, Sportacus caught hold of her wrist and looked down at her watch. "It's almost eight already!"

"What's wrong?" she asked, liking the strength of his fingers.

"I have to go. Heroes need to get a good night's sleep!" he said, gently pulling his hand from hers. "I don't mean to be rude but I've got to get going before 8:08!"

She saw him fumbling with pushing his cap back even though it didn't need adjusting. Standing up next to him she took his mug and gave him a smile. "It's all right. I'll let you go. Can't hold up the town hero!"

"It was very nice getting to know you, Miss Lidenbrock… I mean Gretchen. Perhaps you'll be playing basketball or something else with the rest of us soon?"

"With sneakers on," she nodded. "And looking forward to it!"

He took her outstretched hand, shook it, and then raised it to his hand to give it a slight kiss. She chuckled and shook her head. "Well I see you must have gotten an A in Chivalry."

"A B plus," he said with an equally pleasant smile as he released her hand. Stepping back he waved, then shouted, "Ladder!"

Something dropped, gleaming briefly in the light of the street lamp. She saw from the swinging horizontal struts it was a rope ladder. Climbing easily up it, he gave one last wave before he had made it up halfway. She saw the airship circle a bit and drift lazily on towards its position around the town hall. Picking up both mugs she entered the house and closed the door behind her.

She didn't realize the slender figure watching from behind the bushes.


	4. Stephanie's secret

_Disclaimer: I don't own the characters of Lazy Town. They belong to their respective company of the same name. I am just borrowing the characters for this fan fiction. I only own Readsmore and Lidenbrock, but the name of the latter is somewhat inspired by Jules Verne's character from Journey to the Center of the Earth._

**Behind the Crystal Chapter 4**

By Trynia Merin

_My thanks to KrysSaiyan my first reviewer! You've given me a few ideas for the next chapter after this one. And don't worry, there MIGHT be a bit of Robbie/Sportacus coming up possibly… as well as hints of Stephs' feelings for the sports elf!

* * *

_

Although it was sundown, Robbie Rotten was wide-awake. Just hearing the clamor from outside was enough to jerk him from an abnormally long sleep. Therefore, he had naturally used his periscope to spy on the cause. Yet, since his periscope did not come up close to where the new house was, he had taken to creeping up and spying from the bushes.

Something about being close without Sportacus seeing him was entertaining. While he loved using his technology, the words he heard Sportacus speak to that science teacher were very educational. He could not believe Sportacus would have the audacity to convince a perfectly sedate teacher who only enjoyed quiet walks to join in that ridiculous spectacle of basketball.

Yet, another plan spun in Robbie's brain. He crept back towards his lair, the greasy wheels in his mind spinning. Yes, he could use this to his advantage. Schoolteachers had an image to keep up. He knew having spent a brief stint dressed as one in a failed plot to oust Sportacus from Lazytown. What stood out the most was that this person knew something about why Sportacus was here. Judging from what he had overhead about Sportacus knowing one of her relatives was intriguing.

"Very curious. The poor idiot has no idea what he's in for. So there's some 'association' behind sending these heroes here? If they found no reason for Sportakook to remain, perhaps he could go elsewhere. But how to use this… if someone SENT him here, then they can recall him. But how…"

Landing in his fuzzy orange chair, he leaned back, tapping his chin. The teacher did not' care much for exercise. Perhaps if he convinced her she was making a fool of herself she would revert to her old ways. If she could be convinced the children's excercize was affecting their homework he could force them to stop. Perhaps then he could get some rest!

"Too many variables. But there are TWO angles I can exploit. First, find out if this teacher knows anything ELSE she is willing to blab about if Sportacus tries to get her to excercize again. Then there's attacking the old public image. What to do, what to do…"

Grinning he sauntered over to his disguise menagerie. IN dozens of glass tubes were mannequins with various costumes. Passing a few he lit upon the salt and pepper suit with a rather severe wig and horn-rimmed glasses. The trick was passing himself off as the Superintendent of Schools. "They pay visits from time to time. It'll be the perfect way to stick close and hear some more about this hero's association…" he cackled, rubbing his hands together.

Though, something saddened him suddenly about the thought of Sportacus leaving. If not for the disruption in sleep, Sportacus was sickeningly cheerful. He was one of the only people Robbie knew of who could be angry one day and brightly cheerful to him the next as if nothing had happened. For some reason, Sportacus gave Robbie every effort to 'reform' without hauling him off to jail. Not that what he had done was exactly 'illegal' but he had not crossed the line totally.

He tapped his forehead, frowning. _Was it all THAT bad having the blue elf around?_ Something about him piqued at Robbie. Trying to tax his brain to figure out how to get rid of Sportacus kept his muse working hard on inventing. Yet, he was ready for a break.

"They could always send him back, if I change my mind," Robbie chuckled. But that schoolteacher had to either change or go. Something made Robbie feel strange twinges of jealousy the way that Sportacus looked at her. Why would he feel 'jealous' of the superhero paying attention to some schoolteacher? Just why Robbie was not sure he wanted to know. But he admitted he DID like seeing the way that spandex glided over Sportacus toned body when he flipped in front of that periscope.

"No, she has to go. She and that annoying pink brat," Robbie snorted. Both of them at once.

"Then Sportacus will be all mine," Robbie cackled. He suddenly stopped himself.

"Wait a minute, did that just sound like it did?" he blinked. He had some serious thinking to do. Could it be… that Pinkie was not the only one who liked Sportacus? Could he possibly…

"Me… like Sportashave? The very idea," Robbie shuddered. However, the more he thought about it, the more JEALOUS he felt when he pictured the sports elf chasing after that woman. _Perhaps Sportacus didn't have to leave if Robbie found ANOTHER reason for him to stay._

* * *

Birds chirped through a nearby tree as Stephanie woke and stretched. Her bedroom could easily be an ad for pepto bismol, but she didn't care. She just loved anything pink! Hugging the fuzzy bear to her chest she dropped down and wondered if she wanted to get up. Wiping a bit of tear from her eye, she thought about the last few months. Mother and Father seemed so close and yet so far away. Just hiding the reason she'd moved here permanently was difficult to say the least. 

"Sportacus would say get up," she murmured. Thinking of the hero made her heart flutter a bit and she decided to see if he was up patrolling the town with his usual summersaults and flips. Sometimes she caught him doing pushups on the wall outside her window. Lately he'd found excuses to run on his morning jog by her window to give her a smile.

Yawning, Stephanie swung her legs around and then put both feet on the floor. She walked over to her dresser and opened the second drawer from the top to pull out a pair of pink sweatpants and a T-shirt. Excercize always raised her spirits. If she wasn't out she was sure her friends would come after her.

Soon she had eaten a nutritious breakfast and trotted down the steps of her front porch. Nobody was up yet except for the occasional neighbor gardening or watering his or her lawn. Her uncle waved his goodbye as she began a brisk jog.

The flickering lights of the morning sun pixilated through the tree near the window of her new neighbor. Sitting on her front porch, Gretchen Lidenbrock finished eating her breakfast of rolls smothered with butter and jam. She took a sip of the orange juice and folded her legs while glancing at her paper. When she heard the tap of shoes on pavement and heard someone panting she peered over the top to see a small figure wearing a pink jogging suit. It was Stephanie, pumping her arms and jogging briskly past her front porch.

"Hello!" she waved.

"Good grief," the schoolteacher shook her head. "Since when did a nine year old jog like that?"

Most nine-year-olds she knew would want to stay in bed and watch cartoons. Yet, she figured it was all due to that sports elf. Something strange stirred inside her, and she tossed down her paper. Marching into her house, she let socks and pumpkin out so they could run and do what cats normally did. The orange tabby darted out and rushed into the front yard while the black and white tuxedo cat curled up in the chair she'd vacated. Socks yawned unimpressed as he lay his head on his paws.

Minutes later Stephanie had worked her way back down the street in a second lap. To her surprise the front door of Gretchen's house opened, admitting a woman wearing a pair of baggy loose sweatpants, a T shirt and a sweat top that looked as if it were brand new but barely worn. Down one leg of the pants, it said Intellectual City U, while the sweat jacket had the initials ICU. The T-shirt had a slight faded logo that read Rockhound on it. Glasses held around her face by a band, Gretchen made a jerky attempt at stretching.

"Hi!" Stephanie said. "You're out jogging too?"

"I don't know WHY I'm doing this, but if a nine year old can get up, I must be out of shape," Gretchen mumbled.

"C'mon and join me!" Stephanie said,

"That kid shouldn't be THAT peppy this early," mumbled Gretchen. She started at Stephanie's side, fumbling to put the headphones in her ears and click on her favorite CD.

"It's always nice to jog with someone. That's what Sportacus says," Stephanie panted, setting the pace. Gretchen huffed after her, the sweatband around her upswept hair soaking up the droplets already pouring down.

It was a sunny Saturday as the two females jogged down Shady way, and onto Main Street. Stephanie started to outpace her teacher, and Gretchen huffed as she picked up the pace. She had to admit the kid was a good incentive. Something about wanting to know why Stephanie had suddenly come to live here permanently tugged at the teacher's curiosity. From looking at her student's file, she knew the girl lived in a town miles away by train. Her uncle Milford had brought her in and signed all the transfer papers. Where were her mother and father? A maternal instinct overrode Gretchen's annoyance at her wheezing breath and she started to move a pace ahead of Stephanie. As if things couldn't get any more strenuous, she saw something blue and white out of the corner of her eye flash by. She kept her vision straight ahead when she saw Stephanie wave and saw her bright smile. That dreamy schoolchild crush look twinkled over Stephanie's young face. Gretchen knew that look well, for what girl or boy wouldn't look up to the handsome muscled figure flipping head over hands to keep up with their pace.

"Oh brother," Gretchen mumbled, feeling extremely embarrassed by looking like a slob in workout clothes. Just why she should care around a sports clad hero escaped her, but she was relieved when Sportacus turned his full attention on her running mate.

Over the loud rock music, she heard pieces of the convo. Sportacus was eagerly chattering to an excited Stephanie. Just seeing how the girl's face lit up around the hero proved that Stephanie had a very strong Jones for the athletic elf. To be nine again, and mooning over a handsome older man who paid you so much attention was the dream of any girl. Especially when his face and eyes lit up like the sun. Those eyes of his seemed so unnaturally blue, and the boundless energy didn't seem human.

"Come on he's a hero. An elf," she blinked, seeing one of his ears slightly poking out from under the cap he wore. That blasted moustache made her remember Captain Nimrod's fine moustache and beard, defying gravity. Sure not every hero had to be elfish but some did tend to be magical beings. Elves were charming to everyone. The gears in her head turned. Something about an icelandic elf that her brother or uncle knew. But his name wasn't Sportacus. It was Ithrottaalfurin something.

"Hello there!" he seemed to yell. Tearing her headphone out she struggled to keep up the pace because Stephanie was suddenly rushing faster to keep up with Sportacus.

"Huh… good morning…" she huffed, pushing her legs to move faster.

"It's a pleasant morning for a jog, isn't it? Great to see you out and working out first thing," he waved.

"It's Stephanie's fault," Gretchen stopped herself.

"I'm trying for five miles this time," Stephanie cheerfully chirped, her eyes wide and moony at the grin Sportacus shot in their direction.

"Oh brother," Gretchen rolled her eyes, then chuckled. Already her heart slammed against her breastbone while her legs started to complain. Already Sportacus and Stephanie had outpaced her by five feet, then ten. Biting her lip she summoned more strength knowing it would probably cost her later in aches and pains.

"Five miles, why that's good."

"Five what?" Gretchen groaned. Still looking at the rear view of the sports elf wasn't bad, but she wasn't about to let a nine year old girl stay before her too long. Her feet pounded against he pavement, wearing the very sneakers Sportacus had given her yesterday. The entire front of her shirt was saturated. Finally, when her knees began to cramp she knew it was hopeless.

"I'm out of shape. Admit it. I hate jogging," Gretchen mumbled as she let herself drop back. Sportacus and Stephanie shot hopelessly far ahead. Her arms flopped like lead weights and she seemed like she was a tortoise running after a hare.

"Are you okay?" the Icelandic accented voice asked.

"What the?" she blinked, seeing Sportacus suddenly jogging much more slowly to keep pace with her. "Do I look okay? This is the first time in YEARS I've done this! I'm lucky I'm not comatose on the ground."

"Take it easy, it's not a race. Breathe in through your nose and out your mouth. Let your whole chest move…"

"I know… how to breathe," she gasped, suddenly flopping.

"Come on, you can do it!" he said. Stephanie had dropped back as well, letting her slowly catch up.

"Oh hell," Gretchen groaned. "I need to stop!"

"Maybe you need some water?" Stephanie asked.

"Are you sure you ate a good breakfast?"

"I… huff… ate!" she heaved. "It's just… I'm out of breath."

"Then just walk for a little bit. Let your body cool down. If you're not used to this, it's not a crime to take it slow. Just as long as you're moving that's what matters," Sportacus said gently. She felt a water bottle pushed into her hand and took it gladly from the sports elf.

"I remember that time I didn't eat breakfast and I almost crashed," Stephanie said sympathetically, dropping to a slow power walk.

"This is embarrassing, I'm only slowing you both down. Don't worry just go on ahead," she finally gasped after chugging a quarter of the bottle down.

"It's okay, really," Stephanie said brightly, but there was a hint of jealousy in the girl's face that Gretchen knew was typical of a schoolgirl crush.

"No, really, you two… I'll just go back and take a rest, I'm sure Stephanie and you do this every morning, I don't want to intrude," she said, turning around and struggling to jog back home. Sportacus and Stephanie exchanged glances and jogged quickly after her.

"That's weird," Sportacus mumbled. Stephanie blushed when she realized what had just happened. Was it THAT obvious she wanted time alone with the superhero? She couldn't help but feel a bit guilty and a bit glad to have him all to herself.

"No, let her go. I'm sure she's just worried she's going to hold us back," Stephanie took his arm.

"It's a shame. She wasn't doing too badly," Sportacus shaded his face with his hand. "Ah well, I'm sure there's something ELSE she likes to do."

"Why are you so worried about her? She doesn't look like she really wanted to jog in the first place?" Stephanie asked.

"Well she WAS trying," Sportacus said.

"True. But you don't understand something about girls, Sportacus."

"Which is?" Sportacus glanced down at her with a confused frown.

"She was embarrassed at how she looked maybe? I mean women get all self conscious when they don't look their best and maybe she didn't expect you to suddenly pop in… sometimes girls and women, they worry about how they look in front of someone so handsome… oops," Stephanie realized what she was saying and clapped a hand over her mouth.

"And what was wrong with the way she looked?" Sportacus asked.

Stephanie chuckled and shook her head. "Most women would rather look their best?"

"How can she not look her best if she doesn't exercise? I mean why should she be embarrassed, eh?" Sportacus shrugged.

"Oh never mind," Stephanie sighed. "I'm sure she's okay. If she wants to come out later, I'm sure she will. But maybe it's better if we didn't push her."

"True, but she DOES need exercise, and I hate seeing someone out of shape and not moving when they'd feel so much better."

"Well then maybe we can do something to make her feel better. Uncle Milford was going to send over a cake…"

"A cake?" Sportacus looked at her in horror as they stopped in front of Stephanie's front door.

"Oh well maybe to you… I could convince him to make a carrot cake?" she chuckled.

"A basket of fresh fruit would be much nicer don't you think," the sports elf mumbled. He was thankful for the bleeping in his crystal. Waving to his friend, he rushed off in a series of flips. Stephanie noticed he was chasing after Mrs. Readmore's dog that had chased an orange cat up the tree in the yard across the street.

* * *


	5. Baking and eating a cake

**Behind the Crystal **

**Chapter 5**

By Trynia Merin

Disclaimer: I do not own the characters of Lazy Town. They belong to their respective company of the same name. I am just borrowing the characters for this fan fiction. I only own Readsmore and Lidenbrock, but the name of the latter is somewhat inspired by Jules Verne's character from Journey to the Center of the Earth. _My thanks to KrysSaiyan my first reviewer! You've given me a few ideas for the next chapter after this one. And don't worry, there MIGHT be a bit of Robbie/Sportacus coming up possibly… as well as hints of Stephs' feelings for the sports elf! I rewrote this after I read the carrot cake scene because I didn't want to seem like I was stealing your great idea:blush:

* * *

_

After a quick shower, Miss Lidenbrock had decided to try her hand at pulling some of the weeds out of her garden. Donning a straw hat she grabbed a basket and put several gardening tools in it. Soon she crouched on aching knees and scrabbled in the dirt with the small trowel. With a loud meow, Pumpkin leapt over the fence and ran past her towards the porch. Socks rose and stretched; blinking unimpressed at the other feline resident of their new home.

"Where have YOU been?" she asked, turning to look at Pumpkin. He bounded up to the ledge of the porch, looking nervously from left to right with his gold eyes. Trying to look innocent, he licked his front paw.

"You didn't get into trouble with the neighbor's dog again did you?" she asked, blinking at her cat. Knowing he would not answer she returned to her task. She wrapped a gloved hand around the green weed, and yanked hard.

"Hi, Miss Lidenbrock, I hope I'm not bothering you," said a little girl's voice.

"OH, hello Stephanie. No you are not. I was just pulling weeds," said the science teacher, sitting on the lawn. She wore faded bluejeans and a loose T-shirt, her eyes covered with tinted sunglasses.

"My mom liked gardening," Stephanie said. "Anyway, I brought you something. Uncle realized we forgot to give you a welcome to Lazytown present."

"Oh you shouldn't have!" she said, brightening up as Stephanie showed her the cake plate with its cargo. Pican glaze icing slathered over a two-layer cake, decorated with coconut sprinkles and small designs shaped like apples.

"Uncle and I made it. It's a recipe called "jewish apple cake" even though I'm not Jewish it tastes great. Hope you like it!"

"Tell him thank you. That's very sweet of you," she said, standing up and taking the plate.

"Anyway," Stephanie said, dragging a sneakered toe in the dirt. "I just wanted to let you know I appreciated you thinking I wanted to work out alone with Sportacus, but you didn't have to ditch."

"Would you like a glass of iced tea and some of this cake. I can't eat it all myself."

"Sure," Stephanie said brightly, relief flooding her body. She entered into the shady house after her teacher. Behind them slapped the screen door shut. Once in the kitchen she helped pour two glasses of iced tea while her teacher set the table. Gretchen selected a knife and cut two pieces of her uncle's carrot cake. Before long teacher and student sat down cattycorner to one another.

"Well you enjoy that sort of thing. And sometimes two friends just need some alone time, eh?" she winked.

"Um what do you mean?" Stephanie asked. She swirled ice tea in her glass, letting the ice tinkle against the sides.

"He's a nice good looking man. What girl wouldn't want time alone with him," said Gretchen. Her mouth enclosed around the morsel of carrot cake stabbed on her fork. She used the side of the impliment to cut another bit off, then held it poised before her mouth.

"I don't know what you mean I…" Stephanie spluttered, pushing her glass away.

"I was nine years old once, Stephanie. You like him, and that is perfectly okay. I don't want to intrude on that," said Gretchen.

"Is it that obvious?" Stephanie glanced around, moving closer. "I mean it's silly I'm a kid…."

"You've got feelings. You will be a woman someday. And having an attraction to any man is not a crime. At least I don't think so.

"I feel so stupid. I mean I'm a little girl and he's a grown up. But I still wish he…"' Stephanie spluttered, pushing crumbs of cake around with her fork.

Leaning over Gretchen rested her hand on Stephanie's small one. She said softly, "Could be your boyfriend? It is not silly Stephanie. You are growing up. And someday you will be a woman you know. And by the looks of it, a pretty woman too."

"Thanks for not thinking I was silly," said Stephanie nervously. It scared her that Gretchen had so quickly looked past her to see what she was really feeling. Yet it saddened her and she suddenly wanted to be anywhere but there thinking about such grown up sensations. Still to know someone understood, someone female that she did not know as well as the others made it less difficult. Voicing the strange shadowy shivers made them real and valid.

The sharp rat-tat of someone knocking the door startled both of them. Stephanie swung her head around towards the living room. "Wait a minute I'll get that," said Gretchen.

"I'll clear up," Stephanie said, grabbing the plates and stacking them. Suddenly she felt the need to hide in the kitchen because she was afraid that she would be asked more about what she felt. Never mind it was silly to worry because nobody could read her mind.

Striding through the living room, sparse with some furniture she reached the front door. Standing behind the screen once she opened the solid wood door was a cheerful smiling face. Two blue eyes seemed to stare right into hers as Sportacus held up a basket of apples and oranges. "Oh hi…"

"I thought you might like some sports candy… a sort of welcome."

"What in the world is 'sports candy?'" blinked Gretchen, opening the screen door so she only stood a foot away from the muscular hero. She tried to divert her gaze from the intensity of those blue eyes so she focussed on the shiny number 10 on his badge instead. Orange and red blended together on the numeral that graced a shiny plastic translucent case glittering like a crystal. Was it her imagination or did she see a real crystal shimmering inside.

The sound of his voice snapped her attention up when he held up the basket wrapped in blue and silver celophane. "That's what I call fruits and vegetables. Makes much better snacks then sugar and fat."

"Oh I see. Well won't you come in?" she said, stepping back to let Sportacus enter the living room. He quickly glanced around the shiny wood floor and sparse furnishings.

"Looks nice," Sportacus nodded with approval.

"I haven't gotten all my furniture yet. It's rather sparse," she said quietly, closing the door behind them.

"Sparse isn't bad! There's lots of room to move around," he nodded. He followed her through the open raftered chamber into the kitchen separated off by a small shoulder height divider.

"Stephanie said she was bringing you a cake her uncle baked and it seemed like you were rather down before…"

"Thank you. She's actually been sharing some apple cake with me now," said Gretchen. Peering over her shoulder she saw Stephanie's frantic shake of the head no, and the huge blush spreading over the child's face as she wrung her hands. Seeing the object of her crush so quickly after admitting it was more then the nine-year-old could handle.

Sportacus noticed her at once and waved, "Hello Stephanie! Didn't expect to see you still here!"

"I um… I just realized I have to get back… I um… I have to meet Trixie and the guys at the treehouse… we were going to uh… read comic books!" she spluttered.

"Read comic books?" Sportacus blinked as Stephanie rushed past them into the living room.

"Sorry I can't stay, Miss Lidenbrock!" she called, rushing out the door. "Thanks for the iced tea… You can send the plate back when you're done."

"She seemed in a hurry," Sportacus blinked as the teacher shook her head. Her face flushed with the memories of little shivers that came over her those years ago when Captain Nimrod had smiled at her. Under her breath the schoolteacher mumbled something in German, not sure of what else to say. Sportacus placed the basket of fruit on the table and saw her turn around shaking her head and biting her lip. Narrowing his eyes he could not help but get most of what she had said.

"Surely it's not THAT bad," he said.

"What…" she blinked then uttered a curse.

"Is Stephanie all right? She seems rather… distant lately," he asked.

"She's got a lot on her mind. The sort of things many girls do at that age," Gretchen said. "You know how it can be, having been a child yourself long ago?"

"What sort of things?" he said, pushing his cap back a bit so he could scratch his head. It was his turn to mumble something in Icelandic that caught her ear and she could not help but chuckle at how cute he was when he looked confused. She grabbed one of the apples from the basket and absently rubbed it on her jean leg. To his relief and delight, she bit into it readily.

"Actually I didn't mean it like that. I mean I know it's hard when you're not a girl, but there are some things universal," she muttered in German absently.

"True," he nodded. "If I were a girl I might understand, but that's a bit beyond my capabilities. I never passed shape shifting class."

_"Now that sounded strange in any language,"_ she said.

"_I suppose it does_," he said, realizing she had just spoken his language. "_You speak Icelandic?_"

"_A little_," she admitted. "_Though I shouldn't be surprised you can speak German_."

"Well I can't exactly, but it DOES sound like Icelandic… in that the languages sound similar," he said in English, taking one of the apples she tossed him. Both casually leaned against the kitchen counters eating their fruit for a few minutes, puzzling mutually over Stephanie's odd behavior.

"By the way you don't need to feel… embarrassed," he said.

"Embarrassed about what?"

"Wearing sweats around… um… well when you're exercising. I mean it is the best thing to wear when you are working out…" Sportacus said. He shifted his weight from one foot to the other, ostensibly jogging in place.

"What on Earth are you talking about?" she blinked at him.

"Well Stephanie suggested you left her and me because you were concerned about 'not looking your best', and I…" Sportacus started to say, but then put a hand over his mouth at how stupid it sounded. Especially when Gretchen blinked at him with a confused frown. She mumbled another oath in German, and then started laughing.

"What… did I say something wrong?" he asked. As she continued to giggle, he tried saying it again in Icelandic; "_I meant she said that it was something that women are self conscious about their appearances and want to look the best…_"

"No that's not what I'm giggling… I mean laughing about. It is just the idea of a hero like you suddenly not knowing what to say. That look on your face was priceless and I could not help but laugh. No offense… but it looked… cute."

"Huh," he muttered, biting hard into the rest of his apple. He munched on it, not quite sure if he could meet her gaze because she had just expressed an opinion about his physical appearance. Now it was his turn to feel awkward and clumsy because this woman was teasing him. He was at a distinct disadvantage and all the athletics in the world could not help him solve a puzzle like Stephanie, or Gretchen.

"Did I say that, I'm sorry if I embarrassed you," she apologized.

"_No it's not that at all. It is just that everyone always thinks people like me are 'cute'. Never handsome. Always cute. Is it because of the elf or what?"_ he mumbled in Icelandic, turning around and chucking the apple core halfway across the kitchen. It landed with a clang in the center of the garbage can after a graceful half arc.

"Is that why you wear that hat? Because you're worried about your ears, _Ithrottaalfurinn_?" she asked. Sportacus was sure that if she could see his ears they would be bright red with embarrassment. With his back to her, he gripped the side of the counter hard; the muscles knotting like cables under the number 10 on his vest.

"If you know so much about heroes you'd know it was part of the costume," he huffed. "And how did you know that name?"

"It IS your name. I rather like the sound of it better, _Ithrottaalfurinn_," she said with a chuckle, resting her hand on his shoulder. Hearing the reassuring tone in her voice, he relaxed the tense muscles in his back.

Softly Sportacus muttered, "Not many people say that name right here. But I'm still Sportacus."

"What's with the costume? I mean if you are admittedly an elf, I would have expected more of the leggings and long hair. Or perhaps you're pandering to the misconception of them," she said, walking a half circle around him and eyeing the costume with a critical eye.

"It was number 9's idea," Sportacus mumbled. "He gave me the costume before I came. The one I really wanted to wear they said looked too… silly."

"The funniest thing is my brother and my uncle did speak about someone from hero school from Iceland. Only a few people graduated from that country and made assignments. My brother talked a lot about Ithrottaalfurinn. But when everyone here called you Sportacus, I didn't realize that you were the one that had graduated in his class."

"Small world," Sportacus chuckled, releasing the tension. Hearing his real name spoken by a Germanic tongue, even if it was not Icelandic was softly reassuring. He turned around, with a twinkle in his blue eyes. She was slowly peeling the orange with a small paring knife, winding the rind off in a spiral pattern much like someone would peel an apple. A tense silence hung and Sportacus was unsure of how to end it because there were two things he hated. Standing still, and silence. The pungent smell of citrus twitched his nostrils when she peeled off a bit of the orange and held it out to him.

"This whole business of stopping avalanches with singing. I admit I had heard of those unique powers… but… how? I would think avalanches were caused by loud noises," he said. His fingers brushed hers when he accepted a bit of orange and popped it into his mouth.

Gretchen nibbled on a bit herself and said, "Well he can create a smaller avalanche at the right frequency that diverts the path of the first. In addition, if he puts up a wall of sound… that is another way. He took personal lessons from Syrinnian herself."

"Mmm, the teacher of Cacophonies and Melodies As Super Moves. I did not have the powers for that one. It was a four hundred level course," Sportacus stroked his chin remembering his graduating class. Noticing the piece of orange she held up he suddenly leaned over and ate it from her hand.

"HEY that was mine," she grumbled. He dodged around her and grabbed another orange, quickly peeling it.

"Don't be so dissapointed, there's PLENTY where that came from," he laughed, waving a piece of succulent orange under her nose. Juice dribbled down his hand onto his gauntlet, but he didn't seem to notice as he held it just out of reach. Gretchen dodged for it, as Sportacus played keepaway with the orange wedge. Huffing cutely but amused, she dodged up, only to have him shove it into her open mouth.

"Got you," he said.

"No fair," she mumbled through a mouthful of juicy orange.

* * *

Through the side window, a pair of soft grey eyes from behind glasses blinked. Seeing her with the sports elf made Robbie flare with jealousy. He knew then and there his suspicions were true. Either Sportacus or the german schoolmarm had to go. Robbie Rotten grumbled to himself then stuck a finger in his throat making a gagging reflex. 

"If I don't break up this feel good powow, Sportandshave will make me puke! I've got to put my plan into action!" he grumbled, then almost tripped over the hissing cat that darted under the bushes.


	6. Robbie's master plan

_Disclaimer: Lazytown belongs to the company Lazy Town, and was created by Magnus Scheiving. I'm only borrowing the characters for the fanfiction. I did think of the fan character Gretchen, but her name was inspired by characters in Jules Verne's Journey to the Center of the Earth, which starts off in an Icelandic volcano. My thanks to KrysSaiyan my first reviewer! You have given me a few ideas for the next chapter after this one. I had to rewrite this at least three times before I felt satisfied with it. Either it came out as Sportacus being TOO obvlivious or too tuned into the way his actions impact others. I hope you like the result! I rewrote this after I read the carrot cake scene because I didn't want to seem like I was stealing your great idea:blush:_

**Behind the Crystal**

**Chapter 6**

By Trynia Merin

* * *

That Saturday afternoon the Lazytown kids were out in full force playing baseball. Pixel raised his hand with the small stitched ball while Trixie crouched behind Pinkie. She punched her catcher's mitt. Out in field was Ziggy on first, and Stingy to the left. Stephanie swung the bat, clipping the end of the ball. It flew towards the side of the park, rolling off the court. 

"Where's the ball?" Ziggy asked, rushing into the bushes. "I'll get it!"

"Nice one Pinkie. You just sent it into foul territory. And I'm not talking birds," Trixie taunted.

"We need more players on MY team," Stingy complained.

"Well you should have asked Sportacus to come. But you were so anxious to play," Trixie said.

"Well there's still time to ask him, right Stephanie?" Pixel said.

Stephanie bit her lip and said, "Well, last time I left him he was taking some sports candy to Miss Lidenbrock's house."

"Oh really?" Trixie blinked. "That's very interesting… maybe we shouldn't disturb him?"

"What are you talking about?" Stingy grunted. "Ziggy, have you found my ball yet?"

"Still looking!" came a muffled voice from the bushes.

"I guess we could sent him a message in a little bit," said Stephanie. "I don't have one of the air mail tubes though."

"I might have one," Pixel said. "But I'd have to run back home to get it."

"I can't find it! It's lost!" Ziggy huffed, his cape dragging behind him.

"Oh no, not again! That was my last ball!" Stingy complained.

"Then stop griping and help him look for it," Trixie said.

"Maybe you'll have time to look for that tube after all?" Stephanie said.

"Okay, will do," Pixel nodded, smiling at Stephanie. He marched off in the direction of his house while the kids joined Ziggy in the hunt for the lost baseball.

* * *

Meanwhile another game was going in full force back in a certain German science teacher's kitchen. Gretchen laughed as Sportacus grabbed the last piece of fruit, which happened to be a fresh pear from the basket. He had seen her reaching for it, and his hand snaked out to snatch it away. Hefting his hand above his head, he chuckled to see her straining on tiptoes to grab for it. Slightly he angled his arm, feeling her hand grab his shoulder so she could push down and leap again. Then he spun out of the way, twirling around to twist his arm holding the fruit behind his back. To the left she dodged, then the right, trying to catch up with him. 

"You are going to get it, _Sportlein_ you crazy elf!!" she panted. Mischievously his blue eyes twinkled. They wrestled with the fruit a bit more, and Gretchen did not stop to think that she was actually enjoying physical activity. It was all a silly innocent game.

"Thought I'd get you moving… hah!" Sportacus laughed glee in his handsome features.

"Come BACK here with that!" she gasped, and then lunged forwards. Slightly turned to the side Sportacus leapt out the way. Then she whirled around to charge him again. Although he sidestepped, she accidentally stepped in his way, tangling her foot around his booted one. A solid muscular leg clad in spandex landed against hers, and she found herself loosing balance.

"Whoops," he said. His arm shot out to grab her around the waist as she shot forwards toward the table. The last thing he wanted was for her to slip and crash into the table or counter. Instead, she felt the hardness of her back against the table, then the solid thud of his body landing against hers. Caught off guard she realized his body was tightly pressed against her front, pinning her to the surface of the kitchen table. For his part Sportacus appeared just as surprised as she, for his hot breath drifted into her face. Bright blue eyes dulled with confusion and the pear he had been holding thumped out of his outstretched hand to the floor.

"Ach I'm so clumsy," she whispered, her hands pinned between his muscular chest and hers. The other hand was clutched in his wrist, pressed hard beside her head. She half reclined on the table and could not budge an inch with several hundred pounds of muscular solid superhero there. Part of her was waiting to see if he even noticed how close they were together, or if he even understood what was the natural progression of a man accidentally having a woman in his arms so close to him.

"I'm very sorry about that! You sure you are okay, Gretchen?" he asked her. Worry crossed his face, wrinkling his brows over the crystalline blue eyes she could not tear her gaze from. For a moment he felt the sensation of a soft female body under his and realized it had been a long time since he had been so close to a woman unintentionally. Other then rescuing one of course.

"Don't be," she found herself saying. Mentally she slapped herself for that obvious line when she saw the blue eyes widening in surprise. That half frown on his face coupled with the slow movement of his breath rasping. He was so warm there pinning her down and she wondered what would happen next. Gently she pushed up on his chest with her hand flat against it, and Sportacus shoved himself up off her with his other hand. Her other hand remained clasped in his so he could pull her up to a standing position. The momentum brought her forwards and she landed against his body once more. He was not that much taller then she, perhaps a bit more then average height for a human male. Every muscle was economized and solidly built, for his frame and stature.

"We can't be too careful with a fall like that, considering you're not used to such a workout," he murmured absently, trying to steady the pulse that suddenly was racing. Being so close to a woman, a human woman gave him small shivers that were much like the rush he got from working out. Not to mention his pulse rate and breathing were matching when he loved to move. Nevertheless, how could he get such symptoms of a hard workout from standing still?

"I did get carried away but you were having so much fun I didn't want to spoil it. I'm sorry," he said letting go of her hand. She looked away with a slight pink flush coming over her slightly olive skin. He had seen her up close, staring into light brown eyes that gleamed like copper in the light of the sun behind her glasses. That dark hair was different to one accustomed to those of fairer features, but such dark markings were considered rare beauty in the northern lands.

"Ilthrottaalfurinn?" she asked, reaching up her hand to softly take his that hung at his side. Slightly turned away from her, the hero inhaled deep breaths to center himself once more, then stood up straight.

"Er I'm glad you liked the sports candy!" he suddenly blurted out, still giving her that curious confused look that she found cute.

Shivering she grabbed another pear and bit into it just to distract herself and him from what had happened. She said, "Yes! It's very sweet!"

"Good I'm glad you like them. I only pick the best you know," he said quickly.

"You er… have good taste. Are you sure… you don't want some of this pastry that Stephanie brought over," she said. Sportacus watched her grab a plate from the nearby table and cut into the cake. Nervously he watched her carry the piece toward him and hold it out.

"If it's cake I can't eat it," he held up his hand. "Sugar, remember?"

"Well it does have apples in it, but how minute an amount of sugar is hazardous?" she challenged him. "And there ARE raisins in it. Nature's sweets."

"Apples? In a cake?" he blinked. "Carrots were strange enough, but I don't know!"

"Maybe if I scrape the icing off it would be all right?" she said, using the fork to push icing off the top. His nose twitched a bit at the smell of the spices, overriding the sickeningly sweet refined smell.

"I don't know," he bit his lip at the scent of large pieces of apple he could almost taste in his mouth.

"Just a bit. You can spit it out if you can't take it," she said. "Or if you'd rather not risk it."

"Maybe just one bite," Sportacus relented, reaching for the plate she held out. He took a clean fork she handed him, and tentatively used the side to cut off a morsel. Very slowly he raised the bite to his mouth and placed it in. She watched him carefully as he meticulously chewed. His face took on a look of intense concentration as if trying to see if the sugar that might be in the cake was enough to make him sick.

"You all right?" she asked.

"I… it is not that bad," he muttered through the food. "I think I can stand it. Hmm… the apples and raisins are actually good. I hardly taste any sugar. At least I'm not melting down… not yet."

"Well fruits contain sugar. I mean carbohydrates, so it must be refined sugar that gives you a problem," said Gretchen, tapping her chin. She licked some of the icing off the fork she had, and Sportacus tried another mouthful of the cake piece she had offered him.

"You have any milk?"

"Fat free okay?" she asked.

"Mmm perfect," he said through the next morsel. Quickly she grabbed down a glass and snatched the milk bottle out of the fridge. Pouring him a bit she passed him the glass. He set down the plate and eagerly took the milk, swigging half of it down. He nodded, giving her the thumbs up when he saw the concern on her face.

"It's good, it's actually good. I cannot believe I am actually eating cake! This is just so weird… I'd run at the sight of it but to think there's one I can eat without melting down."

"You don't have to eat any more. I don't want you harmed on account of me pushing any hospitality on you," she said, grasping the plate.

"The least I could do was try it, if it has some 'sports candy' in it. And I didn't want to be rude since you offered me so nicely," he held up his hand. He drained the rest of the milk to wash down the last mouthful, and then set the glass and plate neatly down on the table.

"Well you could eat pie as well, as long as it was a meat pie," she said thoughtfully. "But don't scare me like that again."

"You did say Stephanie made it," he said.

"Yes. Which you were saying that she was acting strange. I have to confess that there is a good reason for it. But I 'm not sure if I should be the one to tell you," she said quietly.

"Which is what?"

"Something's happened to her parents I'm sure of it. She has come to live here permanently as far as I know. Her school records were transferred."

"What did you say?" Sportacus blinked, straightening up. He leaned closer, a frown on his handsome face.

"She won't tell me more, but she goes from periods of sadness to hiding it with cheer. But I know children well enough to know when someone is holding back," she nodded. Sportacus' hip almost brushed her as he listened closer to her soft voice. Although there were none to hear them, he instinctively knew why she was so quiet.

"We've got to keep an eye on her then. Make sure she knows she's got support whenever she needs it," Sportacus agreed. Gretchen nodded.

"I figured since you and she were close, you should know," she said.

"I'm very glad you told me, Gretchen. Thank you. Stephanie is lucky to have a teacher such as you who is so worried about her. I think if we work together, she should be okay. But I'm certain she's in for a tough time."

"It can be lonely without family around. I mean she does have friends here, but I wish she or her uncle would tell me exactly WHAT happened," whispered Gretchen.

"Mm perhaps if she trusts me enough to tell me, she might," said Sportacus. "But only when she's ready to talk."

"I can't ask you to break her trust if she tells you and begs you to keep it a secret. If that turns out to be the case, you don't have to tell me, Sportacus."

"I trust you," Sportacus said, folding his arms just under his badge.

"That's rather… unexpected," she said, stepping backwards. Her light brown eyes blurred to the shade of light chocolate, and she fiddled with pushing her glasses on the bridge of her nose.

"Why?" Sportacus asked, staring hard at her.

"Well, you hardly know me. I mean I only just MOVED here," Gretchen said, eyes widening in surprise. She felt strangely touched and wondered what she had done to earn such trust.

"You're Stephanie's school teacher. In addition, you care about her. I need nothing more to make up my mind. And if you WERE dishonest, I would find out soon enough. However, since you carry the secrets you do about the Association, that is another point in your favor. I don't give my trust so easily," he told her.

"That's sweet of you," she smiled. Sportacus had to agree that she looked ten years younger when she smiled naturally. Despite what many humans might say, he thought she looked gorgeous at the second her face beamed with surprised delight. Then it faded away under a mask of schoolteacher regulated emotion.

"You should smile more often," Sportacus said. This earned him a surprised blink from Gretchen. Swallowing hard she leaned over and pecked a quick kiss on his cheek.

"Thank you," she murmured, hugging him tightly. Sportacus was a bit surprised at the sudden gesture but a hug was something he understood. After all, he hugged Stephanie all the time and she was his best friend. So when he slid his arms around her and returned the hug, she laid her head against his shoulder. It felt good to be held by the sports elf, even if he was doing it out of a need of platonic comfort. He quite liked the way her hand slid around and stroked his shoulders and her hot breath fanned his sensitive earlobe. As good as it felt when Stephanie hugged him; having a full-grown woman hold him in her arms was extremely pleasant.

* * *

"I think I'm going to be sick," Robbie Rotten winced. Something shot past his foot again and he yelped in a high pitched tone. He pitched to the side, crashing into the unpruned bushes under her kitchen window.

* * *

"Uh oh, someone's in trouble?" Sportacus muttered, as his crystal flashed with inner energy. They both jumped apart. He let go of her waist and whirled about. 

"Where? Can you tell?" she said.

"Yes… someplace just outside I'm sure I sensed something. That thump sounds like something fell down, and it was far heavier then a cat," Sportacus said. He marched over toward the window. "Stay here."

"_Hollenhunde._ Who would be outside my window in the middle of the afternoon?" she mumbled, following him as he crossed the glossy tiled floor of the kitchen. "I didn't hire a gardener!"

"Shh, it's just outside. You might be the one in danger here," Sportacus held his finger to his lips for silence. Another muffled crackle and rustle was followed by a muffled yelp. Then he heard the sound of footsteps running away. Sportacus glanced down at his crystal, which suddenly fell silent.

"Whatever or whoever it was it has gone," she said, glancing over his shoulder as he pushed up the window sash and peered around.

"True. But keep a sharp lookout. If anything happens, I will be here in a flash. I'd best get back to the airship," he said with a small smile, turning to look at her. "Thank you for inviting me in."

"Have a good rest of the day. Hope to see you again soon… rather then later. Thanks for the 'sports sweets'," she said equally shy. Sportacus walked out of the house with her close behind and only turned to look her directly in the eye when he was about to walk out the door.

"I er… am glad," he finally blurted out, then gave her his best grin. "Enjoy… and don't um… forget to stretch since you're not used to that level of physical exercise…."

"Will do, _Sportlein_... I mean _Sportakus_," she said, waving to him as he pirouetted down the front steps and into the road. A few more flips and he was gone. Gretchen felt herself grow warm and laughed a bit.

"That was… different," she murmured, feeling the warmth of him still against her. The whooshing sound of some air vehicle caught her attention, and she rushed to the door to see Sportacus behind the controls of a hovering small plane. It shot like a silver arrow towards the distant hovering form of the blue airship standing watch above the town hall.

Sportacus was nothing but a small blue blur to Robbie's gray eyes shaded by a hand. He saw the rapid swoosh of a hovering air vehicle almost strafe the leaves overhead. Squeaking he grabbed the trunk and covered his hair with his hands.

"Took Sportakook long enough to clear out! Is he blind, innocent, or stupid? That woman was practically on top of him and he acts like a monk! I don't know whether to be scared, insulted or sorry for him!" Robbie laughed.

* * *

Once he was sure the cost was clear, Robbie Rotten dropped down out of the tree he had scrambled up into when he saw Sportacus shove open the window. That damn cat had almost given him away again. "Crazy Teutonic school marm and her cats! I swear the little beasts know EXACTLY when I'm around," he spat, brushing his salt and pepper pinstripe suit off. Quickly he shuffled across the lawn towards the schoolhouse building. While he was tempted to knock on the German schoolteacher's door, he suddenly remembered it was Saturday. What Superintendent in his right mind stopped to inspect a school or bother visiting a schoolteacher on a weekend? 

"Drat," he cursed. "I've got to stop turning night into day. Stupid alarm clock. I knew I shouldn't have used those leftover toaster parts to put into it!"

Grumbling he marched across the lawn towards the playground. Maybe the day was not a total wash because he spotted the bright pink figure poking through the bushes that surrounded the baseball diamond. A brightly colored garish cape dragged on the ground as a chubby kid in a superhero costume bent over and shoved his face so far into another bush he tipped forwards.

"OUCH!"

"Ziggy are you okay?" Stephanie asked.

"Dang it you just HAD to hit it to Timbuktu, Pinkie," came Trixie's voice from somewhere nearby. Robbie Rotten ducked behind a tall tree, then stood as straight as a rail to hide his lean body behind its trunk. He peered around it slightly to see Stephanie's search path bring her closer to his hiding place. Further out in the field Stingy and Trixie continued to rush past the other bushes in search of whatever it was.

Robbie Rotten guessed that they were not playing hide and seek. Although he did not play games much, he knew they were hunting for a lost ball. Seeing Stephanie so close, he realized luck was on his side. He tipped his head down and saw the very object in question lying in the roots of the tree.

"Well what are the odds," he snickered. Stephanie's head and shoulders pushed through the bush, and she pointed eagerly to the white sphere.

"I've found it!"

"Looking for this young lady?" Robbie asked, pushing the horn rimmed glasses over his eyes. They were so thick they blurred his vision. His hair was slicked into a very different style; his temples gray as if with age. A small beard and moustache covered his distinctive chin, and he walked stooped over a bit as if he were arthritic.

"Oh… thank you mister!" Stephanie said brightly. He handed her the ball with a saccharine smile.

"Tell me young lady, is this Lazytown School district?"

"Yes, are you looking for someone?"

"I'm a… a lawyer, actually. The name's Habi S. Corpus," he said quickly. "Looking for a Miss Stephanie. Do you know where I might find her? I was told she had transferred to school here!"

"I'm Stephanie. But what do you want with me? Are you sure you don't want my uncle?"

"Oh you're Stephanie? I have come from the Caveat Emptor Insurance agency, life insurance…"

"Life insurance?" Stephanie asked, taking a step back. He pulled a card out of his pocket, and put it in her face. Such a disguise served two purposes Robbie chuckled to himself. She tentatively took the card in her hand that did not hold the ball and glove. Sure enough, his name was there next to the letters ESQ.

"Yes. My condolences on your recent loss my dear. Such a young woman like you must be brave to be handling herself so well in the wake of your recent…unfortunate event. Nobody could have seen such a thing coming. And over the North Sea too on what was a routine business trip?"

"Excuse me?" she asked.

"Oh I am so sorry, I forgot to explain myself. I am here to deliver the papers for your parent's life insurance policy. You were named as the beneficiary."

"But my uncle is my legal guardian… maybe you should be talking to him about this. I'm only nine years old," she stammered.

"Well that's all right then. You should give him this letter and my card immediately so he can contact me and sign the papers. Apparently, your parents also made sure that you would be well taken care of...in case of such a tragic emergency. To think that they were lost in that plane crash, only a half-hour from the nearest island. Your parents did travel a lot with your father's work as a VP of a company. Well since I've caught you, such a brave young lady… I am sure you can take this to your uncle."

"Um… maybe you should just come home with me and talk to him yourself," Stephanie said, voice trembling. The ugly reality suddenly came rushing back. Slowly she backed away as he thrust the letter he pulled out of his pocket into her face.

"Oh I'm sorry but I've got another case I'm working on. But you can tell your uncle to call me and set up an appointment for tomorrow or Monday. However, do make sure he gets these. A lovely girl such as you should be well taken care of by your parent's… life insurance policy. I can tell they were very sure you would be taken care of in light of what unforeseen crash had happened. Airplane disasters are the cruelest takers of life."

"I… uh thank you, I'll just go take this to him now, goodbye!" she stammered grabbing the papers and rushing away.

"Brave heart my dear! Be strong!" he waved with a mock look of pity. Fighting back tears Stephanie clutched the papers and raced off towards the field. As her friends rushed after her, Robbie Rotten cackled gleefully.

"That's one down, one to go. With Pinkie so distraught I can focus on Miss Hard-wig, and Sportakook will be putty in my hands. He just can't resist flying to the side of a girl or a woman in distress," he laughed as he slinked off. By reminding Stephanie of what had happened so unexpectedly to her parents, he had reduced her to tears.

* * *


	7. Sportacus comforts Stephanie

_Disclaimer: I don't own the characters of Lazy Town. They belong to their respective company of the same name. I am just borrowing the characters for this fan fiction. I only own Readsmore and Lidenbrock, but the name of the latter is somewhat inspired by Jules Verne's character from Journey to the Center of the Earth. My thanks to KrysSaiyan for her continued comments! I really like the ideas that you are giving me! This chapter is a bit more on the serious side though._

**Behind the Crystal **

**Chapter 7

* * *

**

The skutla shot into its place under the curve of the large expanse of blue and red. Propelling himself from the seat Sportacus 10 landed in the 'hangar area'. Then he somersaulted his way to the living quarters. A smell of earth in her being mingled into the scent he perceived on his workout suit. Far above the earth, he had set his airship to hover so he could survey Lazytown.

Part of him wanted to go back and see if she was okay, and the rest reminded him the crystal would tell him if she were in any danger. He found himself wanting to raise his spyglass to check in on her. A movement in the bushes had alerted him someone had been watching them. Sighing he turned from the door and retreated to his living quarters. Vast windows from floor to ceiling in the forward chamber allowed him a panoramic vista of clouds. Here he could excercize and meditate to his hearts content between heroic missions.

"It has been a while, since I've thought about these things," he murmured, then flipped over so he stood on his hands. Pushing his weight up on one solitary hand he closed his eyes and let the blood rush to his head.

For a while he stood on one hand, trying to block the thoughts that came over him. There came a slap of something hard against his hip and side. Sportacus blinked at eye level with the floor. Sighing he pushed himself up with the flat of one hand pressed downwards. Instead of flipping to a standing position, he sat trying to stretch. Just how he had lost control frightened and thrilled him. When he desired such things in the past, he had usually suppressed the urges in workouts. Yet now his entire body hummed with energy and the sense of strange happiness to know someone else had thought him handsome and looked beyond the hero.

Just behind the numeral 10 his crystal pulsed to life, shrilly cutting into his musings. Sportacus mind cleared of everything and he sensed the direction. Someone was in trouble, and if he concentrated he could almost tell who and where. Nevertheless he leapt up and rushed towards the door. A quick glance through his spyglass and he homed in on a solitary figure huddled miserably on a park bench with papers clutched in her hand.

"Stephanie!" he gasped. He did not have to think twice before he rushed to the nearest transport possible and rocketed off towards the park below.

* * *

In the sports field Stephanie's friends wondered why she had not returned with the ball. Trixie was the first to spot Stephanie rushing off from the trees with her hands over her face. "Pinkie!" she called. 

"I'm sorry I can't talk now! I gotta get home!" she blurted out, tossing the ball and glove down at her friend's feet.

"But what about the game?"

"I'm sorry I can't!" Stephanie blubbered.

"But… hey!" Ziggy gasped, next in path. Stephanie almost ran him over as she raced back toward her uncle's home.

"Where is she going in such a hurry?" Stingy wondered, trotting over from the bushes where he had been picking up loose change.

"She was crying," Ziggy gasped. "Hey Stephanie!"'

"She looked like she wanted to be alone," Trixie said, suddenly grabbing his shoulder.

"But if she's upset maybe we can help her," Ziggy said.

"Girls need time alone sometimes. Guys don't always get it," Trixie said. She knew Stephanie well enough to know when the girl wanted solitude. In times past when Stephanie said she wanted to be alone, or she could not talk, she really meant it. She hated crying in front of anyone. Except Sportacus maybe?

"But…" Ziggy said.

"I have it!" Pixel rushed up, carrying something in his hand. A long tube that said 'air mail' glinted in the sun.

"Too late," Stingy stamped his foot.

"Where's Stephanie."

"She was all upset," said Ziggy.

"She wants to be alone, and she means it," Trixie grunted, stepping before Pixel. His dark eyes widened in concern.

"But if she's upset she might need one of us! She lost her parents remember!" Pixel snapped. "I'm gonna go if you wont!"

"Pixel, don't! She'll come to us when she's ready," Trixie snapped, grabbing his shoulder.

"It's a 'girl thing'. You'd better listen to her," Stingy shrugged.

"But Stephanie's my friend! I'm not gonna leave her alone! You guys do what you wanna!" Ziggy snorted, marching off despite Trixie's concerns.

"Come on," Pixel said.

"Boys," Trixie snorted. Stingy moved off as well, picking up Stephanie's discarded sport equipment.

"But maybe Sportacus is already talking to her?" Stingy said.

"True," said Pixel. "She might not want us there if she's talking about private stuff to him. She tells him stuff she won't tell us even."

"Why's THAT?" Ziggy asked.

"Cause Sportacus is like a big brother to her maybe," Trixie nodded. "So she really must wanna be alone."

"I think he's kinda old for her," Stingy commented.

"I don't mean like THAT!" Trixie groaned.

"I hope not," Pixel muttered, glaring at Stingy.

"I'm sorry!" Stingy complained as they all stood arguing near the street where Stephanie lived with her uncle. Just then, they saw their science teacher strolling along wearing a casual sundress, walking shoes and carrying what appeared to be a fishing tackle box. She also carried a geological hammer in one hand, and wore a fisherman's type hiking vest overtop the outfit that was khaki in color. The wide brimmed sunhat was the same one she would wear during gardening.

"It's Miss Lidenbrock, and she's carrying her rock hound stuff," Trixie pointed out. "Man I hope she's not checking up on us about our homework!"

"She looks like she's in a good mood," Pixel said.

"Hello children? Good day for rock collecting? There are all sorts of good things you can find for your class project," she asked.

"Um yeah… um… why don't you show us?" said Trixie nervously. She worried constantly about the C she was getting in science and the others rolled their eyes at her trying to kiss up.

"We can't talk about that right now! Stephanie ran away crying, and these guys don't want us to go!" Ziggy stamped his foot.

"Ziggy, don't be so RUDE to MY teacher, when she's talking about MY project possibly," Stingy snorted.

"What was that about Stephanie," Miss Lidenbrock asked, holding up her hand for silence. "Is something wrong?"

"Trixie said she saw her running away towards the park crying! She was out looking for the baseball, and we're going after her!" Ziggy said.

"Crying, where?"

"I was off looking for an air tube for Sportacus and it all happened. Tell Trixie she's wrong!"

"What's going on here," Miss Lidenbrock held up a hand for order. "Start from the beginning and one at a time?"

"Well," Trixie sighed. "It started after the game when we lost the ball."

* * *

Clutching the papers to her chest Stephanie flopped down on the bench. She had not the heart to go home because she did not even want to think. Her whole mind swam with the reality of memories she had buried and they were all swarming and overwhelming her at once. Anxiously she held back tears, afraid to even cry because she worried about her friends or someone seeing her. While she knew going home was an option, she was sure that her Uncle might come walking in. The last thing she wanted was to talk to him or bother them with her problems. 

However, she hoped one person would see her here, and knew that if she sat near the apple tree he would come. Soon she heard the whoosh of an aircraft come to a stop somewhere overhead. Raising her head, she saw Sportacus flipping head over heels to land only feet away from her. "Stephanie, are you all right?"

She rushed over and hugged him tightly, before he could ask anything else. "I'm glad you're here," she muttered into his chest. Just by the look on her face, he knew he had come in time.

"Stephanie, what's wrong? You can tell me… are you hurt or sick?"

"I…" she stammered. "I can't talk about it right now."

"Shh, let us go sit down, and you can relax. Take your time," he urged. With his arm around her shoulders he walked her over and sat her down on the bench. Stephanie's tears finally dripped down her face and she heaved in and out with deep breaths. Sportacus sat right next to her, wrapping her in strong arms so she could lean against him and cry. Hot tears soaked into his shirt and vest, and he rubbed her back with soothing circles of his hands. As a hero, he dealt with emotional crises as well as physical ones.

"What are these?" he asked, reaching down to grab up the wad of papers she had shoved into her small purse.

"Some weird man who said he was a lawyer gave them to me. Sportacus I'm so scared he knew… and he said they were for my Uncle, but he asked me about... about them… and I don't want to…"

"Let me see," said Sportacus, letting go of her and taking them out. He unfolded the documents and narrowed his eyes at the legal writing. His head spun a bit and he saw their names.

"I don't understand what this is Stephanie. It looks like some sort of form or document with their names on it. Is this why you were upset? Who was this man?"

"Habi… S. Corpus. He said he was a lawyer and was looking for my Uncle… and told me to find him…here's his card."

"Then he should have come to your UNCLE, not you! I don't like this!" Sportacus grumbled, glaring at the card. It looked much like one that he had seen people use in his experience. The papers also looked legitimate, but such matters were not his forte. "I think we should talk to your uncle about this now!"

"I can't see him right now. I just… I don't know why!" Stephanie whispered.

"Relax and settle down. We will go together. But only when you're ready," Sportacus promised. "I'll be there with you. Whatever this is, we'll figure it out!"

"Thank you," she nodded, hugging him tightly.

"But I think right now you need something to eat and drink," he said, softly kissing her forehead. "And I know just what."

"She's over there," said Pixel, pointing to the park bench. He led the way for the unlikely search party, brought up in the rear by their science teacher.

"She's not alone," said Ziggy. "Sportacus is with her."

"Then maybe we can just butt out and leave her be," said Trixie. "She looks like she's crying."

"But…" Ziggy said.

"I'm worried," said Pixel.

"I'll tell you what, children. I'll find out if she's all right and then I'll tell you," said Miss Gretchen. "Why don't the rest of you see if you can find Mayor Meanswell?"

"Sounds like a good idea to me, let's split up and look!" Pixel said. "I'll go check Stephanie's house!"

"Okay!" said Ziggy. "I'll go to the candy shop! The mayor likes to stop there this time of day for his newspaper!"

"But if she wanted to talk to Uncle then why…" asked Stingy.

"Let's go find him. You know he's so busy that he doesn't always see straight," Trixie whispered. She grabbed his hand and dragged him off in the direction of the town hall.

Nodding the friends dispersed, and the science teacher walked into the park entrance. Once she neared the park bench, Gretchen remained at a discrete distance, seeing Sportacus rubbing Stephanie's back and gently holding her. Then they broke apart and he stood up to shout something overhead. He carried a small stash of his items in the craft and soon she was eating a banana and drinking bottled water. She looked decidedly better.

As he sipped his water he asked, "Stephanie, do you want to talk to me more about what's going on?"

Stephanie tossed her banana peel away into the trash. She wiped her hands on a napkin and sighed, "I told you, this weird guy dressed as…"

Sportacus handed her a cluster of grapes. She popped a few in her mouth and offered some to him. He cleared his throat before asking, "Not just that. But what else is bothering you. One moment you seem very happy and the next you're trying to hide it. You've never actually talked to me about how you felt when…"

"I guess I was just trying not to think about it because when I do, I'm afraid I'll never stop crying,' she whispered. Her hand holding the water bottle shook, sloshing the liquid around in it.

"You're also lonely aren't you? That's ALSO part of the hurt, isn't it," Sportacus found himself adding. She snapped her head around and glared at him with suspicious brown eyes.

"I thought you 'wanted to talk' about my parents," Stephanie asked quietly.

"You're feeling more then just them gone. You're here with your friends and uncle and the hurt wont' go away by pretending it doesn't exist. Lazytown isn't the same as home is it? That's another thing that must be bothering you. So please you have to face it sometime," he said gently. She turned away slightly, and sighed. Her thin shoulders heaved up and down with the out rush of breath.

"Mom and Dad won't be there to wait for me here either, that's obvious! I'm just so tired of thinking about it, because I KNOW they're not coming back!" she sniffled with a far-off look. Her eyes squeezed shut when she felt a hot stinging at the corner of them again. Sportacus saw them open again to gleam with tears.

"Stephanie, please talk to me! I wish you had told me sooner about how you were feeling so I could know how to help you," Sportacus said softly, touching her shoulder.

"It's not like there's anything anyone could have done," she sniffled. "It just happened so fast. I… I was at my cousin's house when it happened."

"Stephanie, I'm sorry," Sportacus said, sliding his arm around her shoulders again. She leaned into his vest and buried her face in it. Grasping a handful of cloth, she sobbed. He enclosed her in strong arms, rocking her slowly in a comforting embrace. Tracing fingers through her soft pink hair, he made a shushing noise.

"Why wasn't I there? With them?" she murmured.

"Is there anything you could have done? Really?" he asked, drawing back to cup her cheek. "If anyone knows how helpless feels, it's someone like me. To not be able to save the ones you love is the worst fear of any hero. The worst kinds of pain to feel like you have failed. Is that what you feel?"

"Yes," Stephanie admitted, wiping away her tears.

"But it isn't your fault. What could you have possibly done differently, Stephanie?"

"I don't know but I just feel guilty… like something should have happened to ME! I want to be with them so bad! My head knows it does not' make sense but my heart hurts," she sniffled.

"You know I'm your friend, Stephanie," he whispered against her ear. "Right? You trust me?"

"Always," she gulped. Sportacus reached into his vest and pulled out some tissue he kept there along with a pen and pad of paper. Sometimes heroes had the most useful things in their costumes for any occasion like this.

"Then will you believe me when I tell you something?"

"Yes," she agreed.

"Then what if I say it isn't your fault. That sometimes things happen and as much as they do not make sense and we hate them, that blaming ourselves will only make us feel worse? That was an accident…"

"How did you know what happened? Were you there?" she snapped, pulling away and glaring up at him.

"Your uncle told me," he said. Stephanie whimpered, shaking all over. Sportacus again hugged her close, and she hid her face in his shoulder.

"It hurts so much," she whispered.

"It will for a long time," he murmured, caressing her scalp. "But I'm here and I'm not going anywhere. In addition, neither is your uncle, or your friends. This is your home now, and we're here if you need anything."

"I know, Sportacus. But every time I close my eyes I can just imagine them falling and screaming. Then nothing but a huge fiery crash," Stephanie said. Her chin quavered, and she did as well. For a long time, Sportacus and she sat on their park bench just enjoying each other's presence.

* * *

Nearby in the shade of the apple tree, Miss Lidenbrock the science teacher felt her stomach turn flips. Inside she knew what Stephanie was going through. Because she had lost a loved one. Her brother was still alive, but her uncle was missing. 

"Uncle Axel," she murmured. "I miss you so much, and so does Brother. He took over your job and you'd be so proud of him! You were the one who helped me learn about geology when Father could not be there… and always sang to me. When my parents had to go away on a trip and could not take me you watched out for me. You and Captain Nimrod both. I miss you… and it still hurts."

A few minutes of crying later, Stephanie swigged a bit of her boxed juice and nibbled on the rest of the grapes, feeling decidedly better. Sportacus in turn was munching on an apple and glaring at the forms with confused blue eyes.

"I wish I could understand what these papers meant. Too bad I'm not Legal Eze. He'd be able to fix this mess," Sportacus mumbled in Icelandic. Flipping through the papers he was going cross-eyed. He wished that hero was easier to reach, for he was the superhero of lawyers and paralegal everywhere. A consult to Superheroes and legal matters he was on call for just occasions. However, he was busy because it was almost Tax season in the US in his protectorate of Boston.

"Uh, am I interrupting?" Gretchen asked, stepping out from behind the tree.

"Miss Lidenbrock!" Stephanie said. "I'm sorry I'm not working on my homework!"

"You've got plenty of time. I was just out rock hunting myself. I found a few nice specimens to put in the tumbler and thought you might like to see some for your report?"

"Uh sure…" Stephanie said as Gretchen opened the small fishing tackle box and pulled out a few nice pieces.

"Some quartz and here are a few pieces of sandstone rock with fossils in them… Lazytown has a good variety of examples natively. But I figured out that there's a lot you need. But if you need more time don't hesitate to ask," she said. Her copper eyes met the sapphire blue ones of Sportacus and they shared a look of concern.

"Er, Miss Lidenbrock, I was wondering if you could help me till the Mayor gets here. But these papers… could you possibly read them and see what they mean? Since you did volunteer to help?" Sportacus handed them to her as Stephanie momentarily was diverted looking at the rock collection. She sat down next to Sportacus on his other side, her leg brushing his. Both of them leaned close to peer at the papers together.

Gretchen traced her finger over the lettering, muttering to herself. Her eyes widened with each line she read through. She whispered to Sportacus, "I'm a science teacher, not a legal expert, but this looks like some sort of life insurance policy. But what's strange is there's some odd conditions on it. No wonder it's so upsetting. Where did you get these Sportacus?"

Lips close to her ear Sportacus whispered back, "Stephanie says a lawyer brought them."

Gretchen muttered with a frown, "If that's the case that's a very UNPROFESSIONAL way to do it. I don't think this guy was on the level. We've got to see if these are really authentic or if they're a fake!"

"Here's the business card," he said, reaching into his vest pocket. Gretchen took the card and scrutinized it. She slipped her glasses more firmly on her nose.

"That address doesn't exist," Gretchen said, pointing to the zip code. "Every country has a specific zip and this one is as you would say… bogus."

"Then that means… what?" Sportacus asked. Stephanie put down the rocks she was examining and nudged Sportacus in the knee.

"That lawyer was no lawyer," Stephanie narrowed her eyes. "Then that means he knows about my parents and he had fake papers? That's scary!"

"Stephanie, don't worry we'll sort this out," Sportacus promised.

"Together," Gretchen said. "I think it's time we got some answers. And it looks like we've got company."

Swallowing hard, the friends slowly crept up towards where the hero and Stephanie sat. She jerked her head up to see them there, and Sportacus squeezed her shoulder. "It's okay, you should tell us all. Let us in."

"Pinky, you're all broken up. What's been going on?" Trixie asked. "Your uncle just got home and is waiting for you and sent us to come get you!"

"Tell us," Pixel urged, sitting down next to Stephanie on her other side. He reached for her hand and gave it a squeeze.

"You could have told ME. You're MY friend too," Stingy tapped his foot.

"I hate it when you get all sad. It makes ME want to cry," Ziggy sniffled, blowing his nose in his cape.

"I didn't want you all to worry," Stephanie muttered lamely.

"What's going on?" Ziggy asked.

Stephanie took a deep breath and looked at her friends. If she could tell Sportacus, she could tell them. Something in his blue eyes urged her to give voice to her pain. Miss Lidenbrock moved to leave, but Sportacus grabbed her hand and guided her into the circle of Stephanie's friends.

"I think we should all go to your uncle's house," Sportacus said.

"I want you to know too, since you read those papers and if you really think they're bogus you should know the story before you decide," Stephanie said looking at her teacher. Behind her dark framed glasses the teacher's severe face softened. As she heard the words from Stephanie's lips recounting the tale, her own emptiness ached. For a moment, she saw herself sitting in Stephanie's place. While her parents were still alive her father was coming down with Alzheimer's and her mother worked hard to keep him going. Her brother was away defending a town as a hero. Like Sportacus was now.

From the bushes a lone figure frowned hard. He blew his nose although he felt the whole emotional display was disgustingly sweet and sappy. However, even in his dark heart he felt a twinge of sadness for Stephanie. Pouting he slunk away, feeling a bit cheated of joy.

"Drat, they discovered the papers were phony. I'd hoped that would confuse her stupid uncle and cause everyone to sit around and mope along with Pinkie because she was upset! But no matter I got what I wanted. Stephanie's upset still and that means Sportacus will do ANYTHING to make her feel better," Robbie muttered.

"Perhaps it WAS a good thing. If they know those papers are fake maybe they'll believe that this whole thing about her parents missing is questionable. Ohhh I'm devious!" A small evil grin came to his face as he sauntered back home. But it would take planning, and the timing was not right anyhow. He had to make sure that pinkie and Sportacus found out in a more convincing way that could fool everyone, even a nosy schoolteacher!

"Now for the next phase of my plan. A plot twist. If her parents were presumed missing over the North Sea…"

* * *


	8. Gretchen's secret and others

_My thanks to my reviewer KrysSaiyan! I thank you for some of your great ideas. I hope this next part is all right!_

**Behind the Crystal**

_**Chapter 8**_

* * *

Evening arrived on the heels of a fantastic brilliant sunset. Pink lay along the horizon beneath layers of alternating gold and lime green. One could almost think it was a piece of heavenly layered cake that smacked of lime and raspberry sorbet. Although the view was partly blocked by the dark shape of Stephanie's house, those inside were warm and comfortable as the glowing rays of the setting sun. 

Stephanie perked up with some dinner inside her. Bessie and her uncle Milford had labored to put together dinner. Her friends were invited, and that included Sportacus who sat crammed into the multitude around the dinner table. While others munched on chicken and mashed potatoes with gravy, he was packing away a dish of freshly sliced fruit and a spinach almond tandori dish that Stephanie had prepared. She had a cookbook of recipes that Sportacus had given her for her ninth birthday and he was pleased to see she'd used them. Especially with the sesame coated roast chicken everyone else was eating.

"So these papers ARE not legitimate," Mayor Meanswell confirmed. He placed thick framed glasses on his face, and peered diligently over them. While the Mayor was an absent minded bungler on some matters, paperwork and legal documents was one of his fortes.

"I know, it seemed really weird that someone would come after me specifically," Stephanie said.

"I had most of the legal documents put in a safety deposit box when you arrived, sweetheart," Milford reassured her. "I wish you'd referred this character to me."

"Something smells ROTTEN in _Laterbae_, and it's nothing to do with Denmark," mumbled Sportacus through a mouthful of salad.

"Where the heck did Miss Lidenbrock go?" asked Stephanie. "She was just here a minute or so ago, but she's hardly eaten any of her food."

"But she said she was only going out for some fresh air!" Trixie said.

"In the middle of dinner?" Pixel asked.

"It's high time you children were getting home," Bessie Busybody said. "When you finish up, I'll walk you all home…"

"But it IS getting dark."

"I know the way, I walk it well enough before," Bessie winked at him, and he felt his cheeks grow warm.

Sportacus glanced down hearing the musical beeping of his crystal. "I think I can guess that she might be in trouble! Excuse me!"

"What kind of trouble can you get into just going out for a walk?" Stephanie wondered. "I hope she's okay!"

"I'll take the children home. I hope it's not serious!" Miss Busybody murmured.

Sportacus quickly flipped out of his chair and tumbled onto the carpet. A series of flips took him out the front door. Usually he wouldn't dream of tumbling in someone's house, but the Mayor allowed it by special permission. Stephanie had moved all breakable objects anyhow thinking Sportacus might visit and want to feel at home. The hero couldn't sit still even for a moment. Still his foot would be tapping under a table if he sat down to eat like a 'normal' person.

Normal didn't describe Sportacus, let alone heroes however slightly above average. Around back in the shade of several tall trees his crystal whispered the destination of whoever was in trouble. Narrowing his eyes he let them adapt to the lesser light. Like many elves he had excellent night vision. The pool of greater body heat formed into that of a woman sitting at the foot of the tree with her arms around her legs.

He was surprised to see Miss Lidenbrock sat by herself, looking at the distant hills with the same faraway look that Stephanie had once held. Reaching her he rested hands on both hips and then leaned down to ask,

"What are you doing out HERE when everyone's in there, Gretchen?"

Surprised, she glanced up at him. "Did you crystal tell you that?"

"Well yes," he said, glancing down at it. "I'm not sure what sort of trouble you're in, but…"

"Nothing. It must be faulty," she said. Sportacus frowned, dropping to a squat so he was at eye level with her. Judging from the way her arms were wrapped around her chest she seemed guarded, fighting to keep back whatever emotions that roiled behind those coppery brown eyes. This time the glasses were pushed up on her forehead and Sportacus was shocked to see this was the case.

"I'm perfectly fine. I just came out for air," Gretchen Lidenbrock said. "I often come to think at sunset."

"Are you?" he asked. "Why did you take your glasses off then? I know you can't see well without them."

"I take them off to think sometimes, that's all."

"I see," Sportacus said with a nod, though he sounded unconvinced. "And do you often try to look at the night sky without them?"

"Sometimes it's easier not to have to focus so hard," she said, turning to face him. "I should go. I've got to get up early if I'm going to work out."

"There you go again," he said, catching her shoulder. "Shutting us all out. You're getting good at that you know."

"Shutting you out? Preposterous," Gretchen laughed pushing his hand away. "Stephanie's the one that needs you, more then I do."

"Now what makes you say that?" Sportacus asked, resting his hands on his hips. "What's going on here? Did you suddenly remember something… related to what's been going on with Stephanie? Did it trigger some memory?"

"It's nothing important. I just remembered something that happened a long time ago. It has little to do with her at all. You're making a big deal out of nothing, Sportacus," she said.

Sportacus snorted, though smiling his face was awash with annoyance and half disbelief. It was so blatantly obvious that something had shaken her. "Don't play that kind of game with me. I might love games more then anyone else but not the kind that keep people hurting when I could help."

Her eyes widened with annoyance and she flinched with embarrassment. "So you're claiming that I have some deep dark secret to reveal? Sportacus, you can't solve every problem you know, even if you ARE a hero. Even emotional ones! Sometimes it's best to let people work things out on their own."

"Funny advice coming from someone who said she'd help me keep an eye on Stephanie. When you look like you're in as much trouble as she is," Sportacus said.

"Trouble?" she scoffed. Gretchen straightened up out of her huddled crouch. She sat up so both her knees were folded under her now while her left hand braced up her shoulder. Angling her knees she leaned slightly away and put her right hand on her lap.

"My crystal doesn't just go off when someone's in physical trouble. When my friends are upset that's a crisis of a sort too. That look you had on your face when you saw me and Stephanie talking was the same she had. You know what she's going through and you're playing that same game over again but you're not letting anyone else on your team," Sportacus scolded her.

"It's been years. I've dealt with it, thank you very much, _Herr Sportakus_," Gretchen said quietly. Sportacus saw that empty blank look of hopeless resignation. Seeing it on Stephanie's face was painful enough, but to see it repeated in the eyes of a grown woman was terrifying.

"Maybe so, but you're still out here alone instead of in there with the rest of us. Behind a very strong wall," Sportacus said. Moving around to the side, he lowered himself to sit down next to her, folding his legs Indian style with a grunt. His hand leaned close to her shoulder and his hip touched hers.

"You have a wall too. You are a hero. You know that we have to keep a distance or else it can affect our work, _Herr Sportakus_," she said.

"That's a rule that's up to any hero's discretion," Sportacus said, reaching over and grasping her hand. "And you know that as well as I can."

"Hah," she muttered, glaring at him. "You don't know what you're getting into."

"Then explain to me what I am?" Sportacus blinked. "Why won't you open up? Why is it so hard to get to know you or let your friends in? Why don't you talk about what's been troubling you? Stephanie's important but so are you."

"Friends, I do let in," she said, accepting his hand in hers. She gave it a small squeeze.

"Not all the way," Sportacus said. He slid his arm around her shoulder, still keeping his other hand clasped around hers.

"There isn't anyone here that needs to get that close, that's all," she shrugged. All he could think of to do was grab her and pull her against his strong chest for a hug. They had done this once before and he did not think twice about it.

* * *

A periscope poked up from the bushes, training on the house. It diverted a bit, and the owner spat. "If this wasn't part of my plan I'd get disgusted," Robbie Rotten mumbled. 

Then the villan spun away, letting the device slide upwards into its caddy again. He strode towards his orange chair, and then flopped down. Propping up his feet he grabbed the book and kissed the front cover. Bold letters in 36 point font read, "500 plots to topple the Town Hero."

A lick of his thumb and Robbie fingered the dog-eared page on Chapter 3 that said, "_Essays on using psychological warfare when gadgetry fails and other masterpieces. How to send the town hero on a wild goose chase using a sidekick's tortured tragic past_."

"Brilliant," he snickered. "Now, what next…"

* * *

Gretchen fought at first when Sportacus tugged her towards him and she fell off balance. Yet then she leaned in, relaxing into his embrace. He rubbed her back just as he had with Stephanie. "You don't HAVE to be alone." 

"You don't know what you're talking about do you, _Ithrottaalfurin_?" she asked.

"You're playing games again, _**Fraulein**_ Lidenbrock," Sportacus muttered. Something about being needed in a way that was far greater then anyone else that needed saving. His mind flickered at a fast pace because the way he held her reminded him of glimpses he had caught of the Mayor and Bessie. Wrapped in one another's arms and pressing their lips to each other's faces. Foreheads, cheeks, and even lips. It was not something Sportacus had ever thought of doing with a woman anytime soon. Perhaps at some point in the past when he saw his parents wrapped in a loving kiss between mother and father.

The sports elf's muscles quivered a bit, but he found the strange shivers coursing through him to be very pleasant. He softly kissed her forehead as he had done with Stephanie. His soft kiss seemed natural enough to comfort a girl, but with a grown woman, it had a different response. She slid her arms around his neck tighter and returned the kiss on one cheek.

Gretchen gave him a sad chuckle, "I guess playing alone just comes naturally to me."

"Is it SO hard to let others play along with you? Or are you used to playing alone for so many years that you think it's more fun?" he asked.

When his mother was troubled or happy his father always leaned over and kissed her on the cheeks, and then on the lips. Then young Sportacus could see the happiness on their faces as they drew back. Sometimes they would slip away and be gone for hours. Not knowing exactly why Sportacus grabbed the scruff of Gretchen's neck and roughly turned her head to the side. Her eyes opened wide as he kissed her on the lips. When she expected him to draw back, he did not. As if he expected something else to happen he turned his face to the other side and brushed his lips to hers again. Then her eyes opened and he glanced down at her, blue eyes expecting something.

"_Ithrotta_… _Wie bitte_…" Gretchen panted.

"Is this the sort of exercise that you can do alone?" he asked quietly, with a mischievous glint in his eyes. Pulling her face way from his neck, he again covered her mouth with his for a deeper taste of her. The taste of her was sweet, and he loved the warmth and giddy feeling that spread over him like a full paced exercise.

"Is that what it takes to make you smile?" Sportacus chuckled. Whatever he had done he suddenly felt incredibly good and at peace knowing she had relaxed and her body burst with sudden happiness. Her eyes were once closed but they fluttered open, blinking once and twice. Suddenly he wondered what the problem was.

"_Scheisse_," she groaned. Gretchen blushed and pressed her face into his shoulder, suddenly shy. He would not release her from his arms, afraid she would slide into despair if he let go.

"What… did I forget something?" Sportacus blinked. The sports elf wondered if he had done it wrong, or had somehow misread what she wanted or needed.

"No, you didn't, _schatze_," she breathed back. Biting her lip, the schoolteacher leaned up and returned his kiss. Her arms wrapped around the hero's neck, and he felt the hot surge of her breath cutting his off. She seemed to be moving her face back and forth in small motions. Like she was tasting his lips and finding something wanting?

It dawned on Sportacus that maybe the first time he had kissed Gretchen's mouth he should have done this so he mimicked her motions and when he felt her mouth open he yielded as well. Then her taste and scent were inhaled like a scented cloud and Sportacus was clutching her tightly in his muscled arms. She was not fighting him, in fact the movements of her tongue and lips suggested he was doing everything right that he should have before. Sportacus was swept away with the exhilaration of a new exercise routine. As he drew back for breath, she was panting like running a marathon, and his heart was pounding just as fast. Sportacus saw that beautiful smile on her face and could not help but return it.

All Gretchen could say breathlessly was "_Vielen Danke, liebling_." She clung to him tightly, and he encased her in strong arms not letting her pull away.

Carefully Sportacus slipped his knee under her bottom and lifted the German schoolteacher so she sat off the ground partly on his lap. _Leaning over in such an awkward position couldn't be good for her back_ he thought pragmatically. The other side of him scoffed and reminded him it was more appropriate at this point. Hadn't his mother sometimes sat in his father's lap when they did this?

"You're welcome. It's just so good to see you happy," he whispered back. His fingers tangled in her hair. Sportacus did not want to let her go, enjoying the feel of the woman sitting in his lap and sharing her warmth with him. His arms shifted so one held her side, and the other cradled her shoulders sideways across his knees. Sportacus rested his forehead against Gretchen's, positioning her head to pillow against his arm and leaned back against the tree trunk. The night had grown cold and dark and his urge to protect her physically rode tandem with his desire to protect her emotions.

The cloth of his hat and strap of his goggles pressed to the side of Gretchen's head, where her barrette held back her hair. She smelled evergreen and something else that was wilder then what she'd imagined sports togs and workout clothes would be like. Granted she smelled a bit of sweat, but it didn't smell like a gym filled with workout drenched athletes. Almost unnatural and otherworldly. Instead of kissing her again Sportacus simply held her close, hoping that he had done what was right. Oddly it seemed easier to sit still, but for the slight rocking motion he made with his body to comfort the emotions he sensed were brewing in her.

While Sportacus 10 had desires for companionship before he had usually buried them in workouts or sought other means to satiate them. His entire body hummed with energy and the sense of relief. Much desire had been discharged but there was no need for continued physical interaction to show his interest. Unlike humans, Elves could control their desires by day and find release in dreams and the exchanges of energy. The way humans thought of lovemaking was wrapped up in the physical. However, elves sought the rush of power and life force that could cause pinnacles to the senses.

"Gretchen," her murmured against her hair. "You can tell me anything. Just let me help. Because you understand the rules."

"_Ithrottaafurin_, I'll tell you soon, but can we just sit here?" she whispered, kissing his temple.

Just by feeling the energies of her body he knew he had permission evoking her image and desires in his dreams. Such was the gift she'd given him in tasting his lips and touches, crossing the line that heroes drew in the sand. He had no reservations now that she had let him in, about making her the target of his affections because he sensed she had the same needs. Otherwise, the recipient of his love would be ones of his kind that he recalled or shared in this way years ago. _A hero could have few trusted ones in his inner circle as long as they knew the responsibility of such secrets._ Stephanie did, and now Gretchen did as well; t_wo females he could now share intimate trust with._

His crystal again surged with power, breaking the moment. "Stephanie!" he muttered.

"We should go back inside with the others," she said. Sportacus nodded as she climbed off his lap and he leapt up. She took his extended hand and let him pull her effortlessly up to her feet. They still kept their hands clasped as they dashed in the front door of Stephanie's house.

* * *

Stephanie's voice could be heard arguing with her uncle from the living room. Both hero and schoolteacher glanced at each other and crept inside to see uncle and niece sitting on the same sofa talking animatedly. 

"But Uncle, they might STILL be alive!" said Stephanie.

"Sweetheart, the papers might be a hoax, but you can't just assume…" said the Mayor.

"If they were LOST, and nobody ever FOUND them… then can there at least be a CHANCE?"

"Stephanie, I miss them as much as you do, but to rise your hopes up would be unnecessary! The search parties never found any trace of them except for pieces of plane wreckage," Milford returned, reaching out to take her hand.

"But Uncle!" Stephanie jerked her hand out of his and leaned away, putting two feet between her and her uncle on the sofa. Her dark eyes gleamed with more tears and Sportacus felt the shimmering of his crystal.

"What's going on here?" Sportacus interrupted. "I thought someone was in trouble and it seems I'm right!"

"It's nothing serious," Milford said. "It's just that it's late and Stephanie, needs to get rest

Leaping to her feet Stephanie stamped her foot. She leaned forwards and shouted, "I don't care! I want to know for sure! I have that RIGHT!"

"Stephanie what's going on here?" Sportacus demanded, letting go of Gretchen's hand and moving around to stand directly in front of the sofa.

"Stephanie, you mustn't work yourself up like this! Stop this at once!" Milford said sharply. It was one of the few times his voice had ever raised past its gentle murmur. The frown creasing his face behind his thick glasses was a strange sight on the Mayor's face.

"Uncle… please!" Stephanie sniffled. Seeing tears in her eyes Sportacus moved around to her side and slid his arm around her back.

"Calm down, Stephanie. Please tell me why you're so upset. What are you talking about?"

Standing up, the Mayor moved over and pried Stephanie gently from the arm of the superhero. Confused and astonished Sportacus frowned at the smaller man in anger. Glaring at him, Milford said, "Sportacus, this is something private between us. You can go home now. Stephanie, you will go to bed now."

"But my crystal…" Sportacus started.

"How can you talk to him like that?" Stephanie shouted.

"Stephanie, enough is enough! It's very late, and you're tired and you need rest. We'll speak about this in the morning!" Milford barked. Hurt crumpled her face.

"But I think they're still alive," Stephanie said. "Don't I at least DESEVE the chance to know?"

"Go to your room now!" Milford pointed with his hand, and nudged her toward the hallway. He led her, tugging her by the clasped hand as she glanced helplessly at Sportacus.

The hero took a step forwards, but the Mayor's hand not holding Stephanie's thrust in the hero's way. In his best clipped professional voice the Mayor said, "I'm not asking you, sir. I'm telling you. You will leave now and let us get to sleep. If I need you I'll write."

"It's not FAIR! You don't GET IT!" she yelled, clenching her fists. She stormed off, burying her face in her hands as she sobbed all the way down the hall.

"But I want to help!" Sportacus protested. Gretchen grasped his hand, tugging him back.

"_Ithrottaalfurin_, let it go. He's serious. Don't make it any worse then it has to be," Gretchen urged.

"I don't understand this!" Sportacus shook his head in disbelief.

"You should listen to Miss Lidenbrock. Or do I have to ask you to stop trespassing," Milford Meanswell asked, resting his hands on his hips. "I understand you want to be a hero, but this is a family matter and it's something that I will handle. Got it?"

"Yes… sir," Sportacus grit his teeth. He uttered a curse in Icelandic under his breath and let Gretchen walk him out of the house. Meanswell watched him leave, and then closed the door behind them, locking it. He released the sigh he'd been holding and hunched over once more.

Softly he muttered in the direction of Stephanie's doorway, "I understand that you want to find your parents physically, but the case was closed, dearest. Nobody wants to hope they are alive more then I. But you can't bring them back…."

Outside the house, a periscope swung around. It trained on the furious Sportacus stomping out much in the manner Stephanie had, led by the hand of the teacher. The sports elf shot a glare back to the home, and then stormed off, overtaking her and she rushed to keep pace. Still their hands were clasped tightly.

* * *

Down below in his hideout Robbie Rotten had heard every word. His face creased with a mischievous smirk. His plan was working perfectly. Just a few more touches and Sportacus would be taking a long trip from which he'd hopefully never return. _Watching that disgusting display with the schoolmarm and the sports elf earlier was worth the sight of seeing Pinkie dash to her room in tears later_. He supposed he could stand sappy romance when it served to create misery. Stephanie and her uncle wouldn't likely talk for days because she would sulk in her room. If Stephanie sulked, then that meant no games or playing with her little friends, Robbie laughed deeply. 

"I knew I got my twenty dollars worth on that Villain of the month book club," he cackled, rubbing the handles of the periscope fondly. Then the scope moved to track the silhouettes of the Mayor.

Robbie Rotten cackled with glee, "Now for Chapter 4… the wild goose chase!"

* * *


	9. Another Hero in Lazytown?

_Disclaimer: Lazytown belongs to Lazytown Inc and was created by Magnus Scheving. I am writing this for entertainment only. Captain Nimrod and Gretchen belong to me_! _My thanks to KrysSaiyan my first reviewer! You have given me a few ideas for some of the chapters. And don't worry, there MIGHT be a bit of hints of Stephs' feelings for the sports elf!_

**Behind the Crystal**

_**Chapter 9 Another Hero and Villan in Lazytown?**

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Another day dawned in the small hamlet of Lazytown. However, something vastly different was about to happen when a bus pulled up at the local station. Standing leaning against the wall was a slender figure pulling a trenchcoat and hat around to hide his face. The cane he carried gave him a rather arrogant air, but he appeared to be waiting for the bus to disgorge its passengers.

"Humph, I should have just brought a chair," he grumbled, tapping a spat covered foot.

The bus dieseled to a stop, the doors hissing open. Then the driver leapt out, and a few people stepped off the bus. Last, to amble out was rotund person fat where Robbie was lean, but still distinguishably dressed. The black wool coat he wore came to his knees and the gray Hamburg hat was pulled down to shade his steely gray eyes that gleamed behind round glasses. He had the appearance of a wise old owl, but walked with a slight limp aided by the cane he carried. It seemed carved of one piece of wood and had an ivory inlaid handle.

"Humph well, not much to look at is it," the man grumbled.

"Welcome to Lazytown, Professor," said the other man, striding up.

"Well, well, it's been years, my boy," the man said holding out a hand that did not grasp the cane. "What have you been doing with yourself, Robert?"

"Oh just the usual attempts to get PEACE and quiet. You must be tired from that long trip…"

"Mmmph, I almost wonder what you complain about in your emails," the man said in a German accent as he slugged Robbie on the back. "But I'm not just here for an old reunion."

"And I thought it was just for old time's sake, Professor," said Robbie with a look of hangdog disappointment.

"I will tell you all about it over a cup of your best hot chocolate, and some peace and quiet," said the Professor, taking Robbie's offered arm and limping alongside him.

"Where's your luggage?"

"Oh that? I've got it on me here," he said, patting his pocket. "A new invention I made… er appropriated from a doddering old fool in Japan in a city called Metro West."

"I can't wait to see it. And show you my Coffeemaker 6000," Robbie Rotten laughed. Both men were soon chatting like old friends as they made their way to his infamous billboard.

As they passed the playground, the Professor pulled a face at the kids shooting baskets. The loud noises were making him grit his teeth, and Robbie glanced at his guest with sympathy. "How can you get ANY work done with that damn NOISE?"

"Now you see what I have to put up with. Genius is so wasted here!" Robbie said in an agonized groan.

"Hmm, give me a few minutes and I MIGHT have a solution to your problem," said the Professor. He reached into his pocket and pulled out what looked like a small capsule. Weighing it in his hand he pressed a button on it and clicked the plunger. A loud poof of smoke suddenly erupted in the midst of the children's game. They rushed around, coughing and gasping.

"Oho I love it!" laughed Robbie.

"That's only the expansion my boy," he grinned.

"Shall we go back to my lair and wait?" Robbie laughed. Smoke hung thickly around the playground, and Stingy, Trixie, Pixel and Stephanie all gagged and coughed. Their eyes stung at the intrusion that suddenly ruined their game.

"What the HECK just happened? I can't see MY hand in front of MY face!" Stingy complained.

"OUCH, watch where you're going…" yelped Trixie.

"That's my foot," Pixel groaned.

"Wait, the smoke's clearing," Stephanie gasped, her hand over her mouth.

From overhead, they heard the whoosh of a flying craft. If she peered through gaps in the choking smoke, she could see a blur of blue as Sportacus somersaulted in. With one hand, he beat back the smoke. "What is THIS?" he hacked, waving his hand.

"Sportacus, we're over here! We can't… gasp see!"

"Follow the sound of my voice… this way kids," he hacked. Blindly he flipped around, trying to find a way out of the smoke. When at last he stood where the cloud was thinning out, he shouted for the kids to come towards him. He tied a rope to a tree, and then plunged back into the smoke with the other end tied around his waist.

Stephanie reached him first, and she hugged onto him tightly. Pixel grasped her hand, and then Trixie. Sportacus walked them out first, then plunged back into the smoke, his goggles protecting his eyes while he held his breath. Gasping, the children sat on the lawn with their eyes stinging and their lungs gasping for fresh air.

"Wait, where's Ziggy and Stingy?" Stephanie cried.

"Stay back!" Sportacus said. "This cloud just seems to hang in one place… Stay as far away as you can!"

Stephanie wheezed, wondering what was in the pink and purple smoke still hanging on the playground. Why didn't it dissipate? Instead, it remained thickest where Sportacus had gone. As they stood there, a familiar figure rushed up.

"What happened?" a German accented voice said.

"Miss… cough… Lidenbrock! WE were just playing a game and then… Poof!"

"Oh no… not here…" she gasped, waving her hand. "Where's Sportacus? Is he in that smoke?"

"Yes, Stingy and Ziggy are still stuck in it, and Sportacus is looking for them!" Stephanie gasped.

"Come with me… back away from the smoke…" she said, grasping their hands.

"But…." Stephanie spluttered.

"We've only seconds… I just hope Sportacus can get them out of there before they pass out! This gas will slow a person down in a matter of minutes the more they breathe in!" Gretchen heaved, tying her scarf over her mouth and nose.

"But Sportacus can't hold his breath forever!" Stephanie panicked. "I've got to help him… if only I had a rope."

"Stay here," Gretchen said. Grabbing the rope Sportacus had tied to the tree, she followed the line. Inside the cloud, Sportacus blindly flipped, trying to feel for Ziggy and Stingy's weakening cries. The heavy smoke seemed to fatigue him and he soon realized something in it must be a sleeping agent. It smelled thick like perfume, but heavy and sweet at the same time. Worse, it seemed to stick to his clothing. What made him worried was that it did not move or dissipate like normal smoke would. It almost was the consistency of fog.

"Stingy, Ziggy can you hear me?" Sportacus shouted. He grabbed a piece of cloth from inside his vest and improvised a mask over his own lower face.

"We're over here… we can't… cough… I feel so sleepy," Ziggy whined. Sportacus gave himself more rope and dashed in towards the sound.

"Sportacus, don't breathe it in!" came the muffled voice of Gretchen.

"What are you doing here?" he answered.

"It will put you to sleep!"

"I can't… I've got to get them out!" Sportacus gasped. His eyes despite being protected by the goggles were starting to sting, and his limbs felt heavy like lead. Unfortunately, the choking purple gas seeped right through his improvised mask.

He stumbled towards Stingy and Ziggy's voice, and then felt the two boys curled up as his foot collided with them. Reaching down he tried to carry them. Gretchen reached him in the smoke, and he could feel her nearby. Grasping one of the kids, she tried to move, but the smoke stung at her eyes as well. Both of them started to stumble out towards the edge of the cloud. Carrying Ziggy, Sportacus managed to set him out in the clearer air at the edge of the park.

"Gretchen! Where are you…" he asked, cupping his hands around his mouth.

"Sportacus… I cannot stay awake…" she coughed.

"I… I'm coming!" the hero gasped. Then he heaved a deep breath and plunged in.

He wondered if he should have simply remained in the skychaser and dived in, but it was getting harder to think clearly. Just then, he heard a whizzing sound go past him, and something wrapped around his arm. It felt like a rope. Another whizzing sounded, and he heard something land with a thunk at his foot. Glancing down he saw through the smoke a powerful light like a strobe flashing. It seemed to pierce the gloom of the gray and pink smoke. Another landed further from him, and he realized the light itself was coming from a height of only one-foot but its strobe flashes gave him glimpses of shapes in the smoke.

"This way!" shouted a voice. "Sportacus, come this way! They are over here! Come to the flashing light!"

"What on earth?" he wondered, but followed the strangely accented voice. Someone seemed to be walking and batting smoke away with a length of cloth. He headed towards the second flashing light, and soon found a slender figure grab his arm. From the shape of it, he could tell the newcomer had some sort of mask over his face. Something was shoved over Sportacus mouth and nose, and he gasped with relief as he realized it was a sort of gas mask. Behind him, he trailed a line wrapped around his waist.

"Easy does it my boy. They are over here. Take my hand, I'll guide you!"

"How can you SEE in all this smoke? And who are you?" Sportacus asked.

"A hero like you! I can barely see; even MY eyesight is taxed. However, I put a strobe near where I last heard them fall. I'll need your help carrying them because I'm not as young as I used to be," said the German accented voice.

"Thank you!" Sportacus gasped. He and the newcomer staggered together, and soon he saw another flashing strobe appear through the fog. Two figures lay near it and Sportacus managed to lean down and grasp one while the other squatted.

"I'll take the woman, you take the boy," said the other hero.

"Are you sure?"

"Very sure," said the newcomer. "Now let's get out of here!"

"I might be able to get out of here carrying him… but that would leave you… and I only have one rope tied to me!" Sportacus said.

"Don't worry about me, boy," said the figure. He raised something to his sight, and another whizzing sound was heard. To Sportacus surprise, a rope seemed to stretch out of the fog to the other side. Then the other hero clipped a carabiner from his belt to his rope. Relieved, Sportacus grabbed Stingy and ran out as fast as he could with a hopping jump. They reached the edge of the smoke, and Sportacus saw the clearing mists lead into gleaming sun. To his shock, the smoke remained where it was.

"How do I get rid of this?" he shouted. Close behind him rushed the shape of the second hero. Light shimmered from the still flashing strobes the other had placed, gleaming off Sportacus' crystalline badge. A badge made of similar material but square in shape with roman numerals flashed back. Sportacus felt hope leaping into him because he knew the identity of their rescuer. He had come just in the nick of time.

"Take your airship and use the propellers to blow it away. That should be enough to get it to dissipate. Do not worry, it is dense enough to stay in one place! It's not designed to travel farther then the immediate area!"

"But there's still a lot of it around here, and I can't carry everyone…."

"Trust me. Use that other smaller craft then! Maybe you could generate enough of a wind current to get it to break up!" said the figure dashing out of the smoke carrying Gretchen over one shoulder. A crossbow bounced against his hip, clipped to the bandoleer strap he wore across his chest. His coat hung around his mid thighs, forest green in color that was a shade lighter then the dark pants thrust into the cuffs of his knee high boots. They almost looked like riding ones. Sharp piercing eyes twinkled under the brim of a broad hat which had a feather tucked into its brim. Special gloves covered his hands, letting his fingers and thumb tips bare while his palms and wrists were covered. Chocolate brown hair with streaks of gray swirled over his face, about shoulder length.

"Lay them over there and they'll recover. I'll tend to them while you take care of that smoke."

"Right!" Sportacus said.

"_Vielen gluck_!" the newcomer nodded. Sportacus set Stingy down and then flipped himself back and forth to gather more momentum to catapult himself up to his craft. Then guiding the Skutla, he flew low to create a current to sweep the smoke away. Several passes and then the fog cleared away like a bad dream. Once it was done, Sportacus then leapt out of his flying machine and landed near where the children were leaning against the trees.

"That smoke… I feel so sluggish," the sports hero mumbled. He gratefully accepted the apple that was tossed to him.

"This should do the trick, take a bite of this, Sportacus 10!" shouted the newcomer, Roman numeral VIII.

"You mean sports candy counteracts it? Why didn't you say so?" Sportacus gasped. Realizing they were near the apple tree he grabbed up the abandoned basketball and tossed it at a nearby tree. The apples fell down near Stephanie and Trixie. Slowly Stephanie blinked and Sportacus rushed over to give her a bite of it.

"Stephanie, can you hear me?" he asked, cradling her head. She blinked up at him, her dark brown eyes clouded with confusion.

"I… Sportacus what happened?"

"Take a bite of this it will help," he said. Meanwhile Roman numeral VIII was aiming his crossbow at the tree, letting a bolt fly with the same accuracy as the ball. One apple landed with a bolt through it near Ziggy, then another near where Pixel lay. By now the newcomer had lay Gretchen down in the shade of a tree with great care and was checking her over.

"Who's that guy?" Stephanie asked.

"Give me a hand and let's see if we can get the others to wake!" said Sportacus.

"It might take longer for the ones who were in longer," said the German voice. Stephanie blinked to see the handsome angular face looking into hers. Something about him reminded her of a folk hero who had shot an apple with uncanny accuracy of his own son's head. Yet, there was a hint of Robin Hood in the fellow as well. Although he carried t he crossbow she also saw a quiver of arrows and a longbow strapped to the man's back.

"Hi… who are you?" she asked as he got up from checking Gretchen and strode over to her. Hooking the crossbow on his belt he dropped in a bow and took her hand. He gave it a kiss and doffed his hat to her.

"Just another above average hero helping Sportacus here," he said with a charming smile. She saw the gleaming Roman numeral VIII on the buckle of his bandoleer strap.

* * *


	10. Sports elf meets woodland elf

_Disclaimer: Lazytown belongs to Lazytown Inc and was created by Magnus Scheving. I am writing this for entertainment only. Captain Nimrod and Gretchen belong to me_! _My thanks to KrysSaiyan my first reviewer! Some of my notions of elves stem from an older fanfiction I wrote with a character named Chas created by my buddy javagoddess. _

**Behind the Crystal**

Chapter 10 Sports elf meets Woodland elf?

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"Stephanie, this is Captain Nimrod 8," said Sportacus with a cheerful smile. "I didn't expect him to show up, but it's a very fortunate thing!"

"You must be Stephanie, young lady. I have heard a lot about you. Do not worry your friends are just asleep. That fog makes anyone whom breathes it lazier then the name of your town! But a good helping of fresh fruit helps counteract the effects," said he.

"I need your help giving sports candy to the others when they wake up," Sportacus nodded. Stephanie spotted apples that lay on the ground, and blinked to see Captain Nimrod taking a arrow to of one of them as he leaned over. He tossed it to her with a smile as charming as Sportacus. Soon the others were all blinking up into the concerned faces of their friends. They yawned but were quickly revived with small bites of 'sports candy'.

Captain Nimrod knelt near Stephanie who was handing an apple to a weary Ziggy. The hero then turned to Stingy, who blinked in shock at the unfamiliar face. Stephanie reached out to calm him, "It's okay, he's a friend who knows Sportacus. He helped us get rid of that fog."

"Oh wow, who is he? Are you a hero too, like Sportacus?" Ziggy asked, looking at Captain Nimrod's costume in awe.

"Yes young man. And I see you wish to be a superhero yourself someday?" he asked, playfully tracing a finger over the goggles that Ziggy had on his head.

"Yeah that's right! I'm gonna be Sportacandy!" Ziggy said, biting into his apple. Stingy shook his aching head.

"Excuse me but I must see if the lady is all right," the Captain said.

"Sportacus is already over there," Stephanie said. The Captain got up and wandered over, a strange look in his eyes. Stephanie shrugged and got up to follow him. Something about the expression seemed familiar, and she saw Sportacus gently shaking Gretchen who was blinking to consciousness. Both Captain Nimrod and Stephanie rushed to kneel nearby.

"What the… oh my head hurts like hell," she groaned. "Sportacus… you're all right!"

"Easy there, I have been told it takes a while to wear off," said Sportacus.

"Are you all right, fraulein Lidenbrock?" asked the other hero gently. She sat bold upright, her eyes widening as Sportacus pushed an apple into her hand. Taking a bite she swallowed hard and then stared in shock at the charming smile.

"You… you're HERE… I cannot believe it. It has been years…" she laughed excitedly. Sportacus blinked as Gretchen suddenly threw her arms around the other hero's neck and he leaned over to catch her in a warm hug. Now it was Sportacus turn to give a confused frown. Stephanie could not help but chuckle because it looked cute.

"Miss me?" he laughed. "Still as resilient as ever?"

"Oh this is a wonderful surprise!" she cried in German. "What are you doing here?"

"He hem… helped us fight that strange mist," Sportacus said.

"Then that must mean… it was him," Gretchen frowned. Protectively Captain Nimrod rested a hand on her shoulder and she moved closer to him to Sportacus surprise. Stephanie noticed the look of disappointment on the Icelandic hero's handsome face. Was he jealous?

"Him who?" Stephanie asked. She moved closer to where Sportacus knelt, and rested a hand on his shoulder.

"Professor Drekspatz," said Captain Nimrod. "I've tracked him down here to Lazytown. I am sorry I did not write you Sportacus, but I only just found out recently. I hope you do not' mind me popping up."

"No, not at all, in fact it was a good thing," Sportacus nodded, suddenly beaming with a huge smile. "I would have had a lot of difficulty had you not shown up when you did!"

"Um, Sportacus, Ziggy tells me this guy's a hero too, and that you knew him?" Pixel suddenly interrupted.

"Oh yes. He and I… well he is an old teacher of mine," said Sportacus with a chuckle.

"Not that old, my boy," Captain Nimrod clapped the sports hero on the shoulder.

"Sorry that came out wrong! Are you kids feeling better?" Sportacus asked, standing up and resting hands on his hips. Simultaneously Captain Nimrod rose to his feet and stood in an equally heroic pose with his hand on one hip and the other on the top of his crossbow as if ready to use it at any moment.

_

* * *

_

A half hour or so later, the group caught up with the Mayor in front of the town hall. Reactions ranged from confusion to downright shock when the Mayor was briefed about what he had just seen from his office window. Stephanie rushed over and hugged her uncle tightly.

"Oh my goodness, what happened?" Mayor Meanswell asked.

"Sportacus and Captain Nimrod saved us all from a strange smoke cloud!" Stephanie announced.

"Stephanie, you'd better go in and work on your project. Miss Lidenbrock expects you to have it done by Wednesday," he said, giving Sportacus a strange look.

"Okay," she nodded. Sportacus drew in his breath sharply, and tension moved between the two.

"Good job and thank you, Sportacus. You have any idea what caused this catastrophe? Was it Robbie Rotten?" asked the Mayor, as he stepped between Sportacus and Stephanie. Noticing Sportacus frowning, Captain Nimrod took the sports elf by the shoulder.

Speaking in Icelandic he said, _"Let me handle this boy. I don't know why your mayor's so tense at you, but maybe I can smooth things over."_

_"Thank you. He's been like this ever since I last helped Stephanie,"_ Sportacus answered in his native tongue.

"Mayor Meanswell, it's a pleasure to meet you. I'm Captain Nimrod," he said, doffing his hat and bowing before the mayor.

"So you're the other hero who helped save us? It's a good thing you came!" Meanswell said excitedly.

"Sportacus was the one that dissipated the cloud, sir. He is the one you should thank sir. I just helped save some children who were in the same place as the problem," said Nimrod smoothly. He flashed a charming smile that caused Meanswell to smile nervously in return. To Stephanie's relief her uncle's tension vanished.

Sportacus stood proudly with his hands on his hips, chin lifted slightly in his typical heroic pose. Bolstered by his mentor's words, he saw the mayor was no longer regarding him with veiled suspicion. "So what brings you to our town?"

"I'm here simply to visit my old pupil and see how well he's progressed your Mayorship," said Captain Nimrod. He placed his hat back on his head. Stephanie could not help but compare the hero to a puppy excited to see its master. Whoever the Captain was, he seemed almost a parental figure and mentor to her sports elf.

"I hope you enjoy your stay. If you wish, the Lazytown inn has some nice rooms…" said the Mayor.

"That won't be necessary. I have already made other arrangements. Do not worry about that menace. Sportacus and I will sort it out," said the other hero.

"But was it Robbie Rotten?"

"That's what we're trying to find out, sir," said Sportacus.

"Well, we're happy to have you here. I hope that you two can resolve this nasty business. If it is Robbie rotten…"

"No problem sir!" Sportacus nodded. Stephanie took a step toward him, but the Mayor gently took her arm and tugged her back.

"Uncle I was just going to say goodbye to him," she whispered.

"You need to do your homework, dear. Sportacus has a lot of work to do catching whatever nasty person did that to you all. I don't want you getting in the way," Uncle Milford whispered.

"But Uncle…"

"I shall see you soon Stephanie, good luck with your homework," Sportacus said, noticing her crestfallen look. He did not like the way that Milford suddenly had grown overprotective of his niece. What had he done to cause this wall between himself and the normally gentle and outgoing mayor?

"Bye Sportacus! Thanks!" the other kids called, giving him hugs and pats on the back.

"Thank you both," Gretchen nodded. She giggled as the Captain kissed her hand, and she pressed a kiss to Sportacus cheek before stepping back. Holding out her hands to the other kids, she walked them towards their homes.

"Come with me children. I'll walk you home."

"I'll be watching out for you," Sportacus started.

"You must see my airship," Sportacus said excitedly. However, the sharp eyes of Captain Nimrod saw the hurt in the features of his erstwhile student.

"Let's go my boy," he said.

As soon as they were alone, Sportacus flipped hand over heels. Close behind him dashed Captain Nimrod, running swift as a hare escaping a pack of dogs. His long coattails and the sweep of a cape wrapped around his shoulder and under the other flared out behind him majestically. Soon both of them reached the Skutla. Sportacus leapt inside, and the Captain nimbly perched on one wing. Quick pedaling later and they approached the airship.

* * *

Two heroes entered the main living quarters. Soft sunlight gleamed down on the glossy wooden floor with circular panels here and there. The Captain nodded with admiration, his sharp eyes taking every detail of Sportacus air ship in carefully. Excitedly Sportacus took him on a tour, somersaulting here and flipping there to press panels and show his larder, sports nook, and other features. 

"My boy you've done well. This is a top class hero hideout and base. You've got an eagle eye view of the whole town from up here," he said.

"Would you like something to eat? I'm sure that…"

"Thank you, yes," he said. A quick shout of 'table' and Sportacus soon tossed up apples and flipped around to grab other items. His guest joined in the antics, grasping up a bowl and tossing it to his student. Sportacus threw up several apples and oranges, then grabbed two table tennis rackets. Taking his crossbow, the Captain fired several bolts in rapid succession. The pieces of fruit shot here and there, where Sportacus chopped them down to finer bits with his ping pong paddles. It was much more fun with someone else to share his workout, Sportacus realized.

When they had made a large fruit salad, his guest produced some fresh lean skinless chicken and other meats. He proceeded to help fix some sandwiches they could share between them. In the vast space, they ate their dinner together in silence.

"I don't get why the Mayor won't let me spend time around Stephanie. He always trusted me in the past, but lately…" he trailed off.

"I wondered that myself. That girl means a lot to you, doesn't she?" asked Captain Nimrod.

"Well she's my best friend," Sportacus said through a mouthful of apple leather.

"Has she recently lost her parents?" asked the Captain, finishing his sandwich and reaching for another.

"Yes. In addition, there was the strangest thing… Robbie Rotten dressed up as a lawyer and pulled a nasty trick on Stephanie…" Sportacus started. His mentor listened intently to Sportacus tale of the last few weeks. Occasionally he would nod or grunt for his student to continue. Finally, when Sportacus finished he sat down on the floor. Slowly he stretched his muscles by spreading his legs out.

Captain Nimrod had removed his cape and hat, and the quiver with his equipment. They leaned up neatly against the far wall. Now he performed much the same stretching regime as the younger hero, but with his own flourishes. His body was long and lean with muscle like a greyhound or thoroughbred horse. Long hair covered his ears just like Sportacus cap hid his.

"My boy, you really need to relax. I am sure that the Mayor is just being overprotective because the reality of Stephanie's loss has set in. He's bound to be territorial. Stephanie IS his niece. And he's bound to misinterpret even the most honorable intentions," said the Captain.

Sighing Sportacus pulled off his cap and goggles. Tossing it to the side, he rubbed his hands through his hair. Hunched up like a small child he drew his knees into his chest and heaved a big sigh. All of a sudden, his superhero walls fell down and he was free to relax and drop his guard. Captain Nimrod rose and sat down next to him, resting a hand on Sportacus shoulder.

"I just don't like it. He trusted me before. But then when Stephanie started thinking her parents were alive…"

"Sportacus, I didn't just come here after the Professor," said Nimrod quietly.

"Then why are you here, not that I mind the visit…" Sportacus asked. His mentor regarded him with those hazel eyes that had changed to the color of deep green. They seemed to change with his emotion. If he moved his head to one side, a pointed ear protruded from the mane of curls.

"My boy, It is the girl Stephanie," said he. "I have heard much about her promise from the letters you've sent."

"You what?"

"Stephanie's parents may WELL be alive," said Captain Nimrod. "And I'll let you know HOW I know this. Because Gretchen Lidenbrock herself wrote to me for help. Asking me if I knew anything about any strange accidents that happened over the North Sea."

"Gretchen wrote to YOU to come here?" Sportacus mouth dropped open. "But why? That is not your jurisdiction! You're still at the school aren't you?"

"Yes. Nevertheless, since you are involved, and you are a former student of mine, I was chosen by the Association to look into this matter. And give you a hand. Because this situation requires more help then you can give alone."

" Because the accident that caused the plane to crash was a direct result of one of Professor Drekspatz' inventions. A Weathertron 6000," said Captain Nimrod.

"So Stephanie's parents might STILL be alive?" Sportacus asked.

"Yes, my boy," said the Captain.

"That's… that's wonderful then!" Sportacus laughed. His eyes lit up like that of a child.

"But they are still missing. And they WENT missing rather close to your own country of Iceland," said the Captain.

"MY home?" Sportacus blinked.

"That's why the Association sent me. To find out the nature of Drekspatz machine. And if he's brought it here, you and I must get it back," said he.

"But surely they must have been rescued or found," said Sportacus.

"My boy, that plane didn't simply crash. The Professor has been mucking with the forces of nature themselves. And he caused some damage to the natural energy of the earth. And Stephanie's' parents have LITERALLY vanished from the face of the earth," he said.

"You mean they…."

"Yes. That is why we need the machine. To create the precise conditions and bring those two unfortunate souls back," said he.

"It seems like a lot of trouble to rescue two people who would be presumed missing," Sportacus said quietly. "NO offense."

"There's a good reason for it. This girl has promise. Or you yourself would not have gotten so close. She trusts you much in the way that you once trusted the Association. And she has the makings of a good hero," said he.

"You mean Stephanie…."

"Eventually you'll be called elsewhere, Sportacus. And since you have not mated and had any children of your own, you must find a successor for your name and title. You know the tradition."

"Yes," he nodded. "If a hero has no natural children they choose an apprentice and the honor and title passes on in them. But you think that Stephanie is really the one…"

"It has been the case since fewer heroes are choosing to have families of their own, for fear of the pain and emotional damage such relationships would cause. And it doesn't help that the High Council has frowned on it for the last few centuries," said the Captain with disdain.

"I'm sure they had good reason," Sportacus said quietly.

"Your father thought otherwise," said Captain Nimrod. Sportacus sighed heavily and looked up at him.

"But Father didn't take on the title," said Sportacus.

"Precisely why he was refused the chance. And why you were chosen as I recall. I inherited my title from my uncle. That was one way that the title of Nimrod the archer and hunter has passed on for so many years," he said.

"But you have no children do you?"

"It isn't too late for me to find a successor. And you are still young yet, but either way you must look ahead. There should be an 11, one way or another," he said.

"But Stephanie is human. She is very strong and capable but…"

"That didn't stop many of the others in the Association," he said. "Or your mother."

Sportacus sighed. Both his parents had been rather stubborn in their views. Especially when it came to his vocation. For starters, his father's choice of refusing to carry on the title fell in line with the prejudice of hereditary titles espoused by the High Council. His grandfather had opposed the move, but other heads had prevailed. For a long time, there was no replacement for nine. Then Sportacus had shown the natural talent and drive to carry on the name. And in so doing the honor had passed to him.

"Stephanie is in trouble and I want to help her. But not being able to do so is killing me," Sportacus lamented.

"And I know there's another reason," Captain Nimrod said.

"I… you can't be serious. She's just a girl," said Sportacus with an awkward cough.

"She's human, and she won't be a girl forever my boy. Humans have such limited views on love. For as long as I've lived among them I still shake my head at some of their practices," said Nimrod.

"I… there is someone else," Sportacus said quietly.

"Gretchen?" the Captain raised a brow. "I see."

"I've not felt like this before," he said quietly. "I want to protect her, comfort her…."

"There is no shame in love, boy. Enjoy it while you can. And even if she is not the one, each relationship is a step on the way,' said he.

"So you have a problem with me taking the relationship further?" Sportacus asked.

"Gretchen and I have known each other since she was Stephanie's age. The reason I understand what you are going through with Stephanie is very clear. I'm sure you can see where I'm coming from," said the Captain.

"You are in love with Gretchen, is that it?" he asked quietly. Awkwardly Captain Nimrod coughed, and sighed.

"If she wishes to find happiness with you, I cannot stand in the way," he said quietly. "Her desires matter. Not those of a hero who has spent much time in this world."

"You are in love with her, aren't you?" Sportacus said with a small smile. "Well I can't blame you. She's a very remarkable woman."

"Indeed. And I do not want her hurt, or you, Sportacus. You've never had a relationship with a woman like this, have you?" he asked.

"No. It's an incredible feeling," he said. "But I can't stand in the way if you love her… it's only honorable if I step aside."

"There's no guarantee she feels the same way, my boy," said the Captain with a chuckle. "I'm not young like you. Granted I have many years left in me. But I've lived among the humans long enough that I can't stop my aging as easily as you young ones."

"Just because you've been away from the source doesn't mean you can't…" Sportacus started.

"My home is with humankind. I like it far too much to be otherwise. And there are those of our people that do not take kindly to the fair folk mixing with humankind," said he. "Besides, does she know your true nature?"

"Does she know yours?" Sportacus asked. Quietly the Captain pulled his hair to hide the ears that were much the same shape as his student's.

"She learned soon enough, the day she left the town I protected. Before I came to teach at the School full time," said he. The older woodland elf sighed and picked up the long ash bow that lay with his arrows. Carefully he checked them over; to see each was in working order. Those eyes grew a somber blue like the sea. Unlike Sportacus, his family had eyes that changed with their moods. Some had the distinction more then others though. Like the mainland wood elves, he was slender and tall, more able to pass for human than some of the Fair folk. Not to mention there was the hint of human blood in his family's veins. As he sat there, his aged appearance shifted, and he appeared ten years younger before his student.

"It was an act," he said with a glint of mischief.

Just then, a bleeping flash shimmered in Sportacus crystal. Simultaneously the buckle of the Captain's quiver made a similar noise. Both of them leapt up, grabbing their paraphernalia and rushing towards the door.

* * *


	11. Bait and Breakfast

_Disclaimer: I do not own the characters of Lazy Town. They belong to their respective company of the same name. I am just borrowing the characters for this fan fiction. I only own Readsmore and Lidenbrock, but the name of the latter is somewhat inspired by Jules Verne's character from Journey to the Center of the Earth. My thanks to KrysSaiyan for her continued comments! Also my thanks to Amethyst11 on for her support of this story! Thanks to Kamikalo for introducing me to Lazytown by her great art and stories!_

**Behind the Crystal**

_**Chapter 11 Breakfast and Bait**_

_

* * *

_

Nimrod and Sportacus managed to stop Ziggy from crashing down where he had climbed up into a tree. One of the squirrels had gotten hold of his favorite bag of peanut butter candies and was running with one corner of the bag in its mouth. Sportacus had used the skychaser to pedal down and try to catch Ziggy while Nimrod rescued the bag of treats.

Then Trixie had decided to shove her wagon down a long hill. No sooner had Sportacus helped Ziggy then Nimrod had raised his crossbow. A bolt shot out, zinging towards the wagon racing out of control. Out of the end of the bolt snaked a folded safety net. The tip of the arrow lodged in a tree. Another bolt he loosed shot out and jammed the axle of her wagon. Trixie flew out as it stopped abruptly, sailing headfirst into the net strung up that Nimrod was tying to a telephone pole on the other side of the path.

Sportacus put Ziggy down and rushed up to help Nimrod free a tangled Trixie from the flexible fibers of the net. It had snared her safely despite her shouts and protestations. Then came a safety lecture from both of them about taking unnecessary risks. Both heroes realized it was 8:07 and the end of a long day. A quick trip back and they returned to the airship.

Nimrod slung up a hammock for himself in a corner of the airship despite Sportacus offering him the use of the bed. He was willing to pull out a futon, but the Captain would not hear of it. Soon they were fast asleep and waiting for the next day. As Sportacus fell into slumber his thoughts centered on Gretchen and the connection between her and Stephanie. Worries about his young friend melted into dreams that were troubled.

* * *

The next day was a Sunday. Only one more day until school started again on Monday. Two villains munched decadent donuts and chocolate eclairs piled up on the table between them. Professor Drekspatz sat up on the edge of his chair, sipping at a cup of expresso. While Robbie Rotten was long and lean, he was plump and rotund. Graying hair receded from a balding but distinct hairline, and his neat plaid suit with pinstripe shirt gave him a dapper appearance. Steely gray eyes regarded his new collaborator with piercing scrutiny. His weakness was caffeine as well as sugar. A Coffebrewer 6000 sat on Robbie's workbench, next to a set of tools. 

"What makes me even consider this was the villain's network traced my nemesis HERE. Of all the places for him to take a vacation he picks THIS middle of nowhere," Drekspatz grumbled. "This is the only piece of decent civilized living that isn't so blasted body fascist."

"Now you know what I put up having Sportanerd around. Tell me more about this arch nemesis of yours," Robbie said.

"He doesn't tend to flip about the place, but he can hide and jump out of any shadow. Those eyes and ears of his are sharp as a wild beast's. In addition, his aim is always on the mark. Nothing escapes his notice, and he never misses pinning me to the wall with those blasted arrows of his!" said Professor Drekspatz with a look of distaste. "He's ALWAYS pushing the need to improve your mind as WELL as this blasted healthy living."

"Humph I'd take shooting arrows over a bouncing blue elf for a change," Robbie muttered, flopping into his orange chair. The battered leather recliner had been popped out of a very tiny capsule like the other components that now littered Robbie Rotten's lair.

"I see you've done rather well for yourself here. One of the better hideouts I have seen. Not quite as quiet as a brewery," he nodded.

"You said this Captain Nimrod's been in your hometown for generations?" Robbie asked, taking a sip of hot chocolate that sat at his elbow. He folded long legs clad in striped purple and red trousers and leaned back.

"They've gone back generations. Nimrod is just the latest in a line leading back to William Tell himself. All those blasted secrets of archery, stealth and speed passed on from father to son," he grumbled. "There have been others…."

"Don't tell me he has one of those hideous beeping things in his chest like Sportakook."

"Let's just say he knows and sees trouble before it starts," Professor Drekspatz said, whipping off his glasses. He polished them on a handkerchief he kept in his blazer pocket, then peered through them at Robbie.

* * *

Sportacus 10 was not used to only protecting one person at close range. Glancing back at his airship Sportacus knew the Captain would take good care of things. Using his skychaser akin to a flying bicycle, he traveled towards the home of his solitary charge. However, he wondered if he was being self-indulgent. Throughout the morning, they had exchanged ideas on how to tackle the double threat of Rotten and Drekspatz. The Captain had realized the specific dangers that would be posed. 

Within the airship, Sportacus performed a series of pushups. At the same time, Nimrod stretched his long lean body while holding up what appeared to be a fencing foil. Both heroes constantly he had to be moving or stretching to feel comfortable. Sitting still was not in their nature. Still gliding up and down with the pressure of his hand he asked, "You say this guy knows Gretchen?"

"I'm worried about her," said the Captain, dropping into a lunge. Weapon swinging he danced across the glossy wooden floor of the airship.

"What would he do?" Sportacus asked. Pushing himself up he flipped over to his equipment alcove and grabbed up a fencing foil of his own. He slid on protective gloves and then landed opposite his friend. Both of them moved to a distance of ten feet then raised their weapons.

"En garde," Nimrod said, raising his weapon to his lips. He pulled the spaghetti strainer mask over, then tossed one to his friend. What commenced was an impromptu match the likes of most fencers would envy.

"Something that would make yesterday's prank look like a rank amateur's April fools joke," said he. Sportacus easily feigned and parried the first thrust. Then the Captain shot forwards, thrusting his foil while dropping on the support of a bent knee and pushing with the thigh of his other.

"Terrible! However, the other kids too… how can we stop them if we aren't sure where they are? I know Robbie has his hideout underground but the code prevents me from barging down there…"

"I know lad. This is why two heroes are better then one. If you're down there protecting Gretchen… Miss Lidenbrock, then their attentions will be focussed there. That will give me time to assess the layout from in the airship and help you in the way I know best," the Captain said. They continued back and forth in that semi squatted crouch, back arm thrown back while the forward twisted their thrusting weapon.

Sportacus twisted his wrist around after the Captain's disarm, then blocked. With his fingers, alone he twirled the weapon to counter the Captain's assault. Then suddenly both their weapons spun out of their gloved hands to clang on the floor. "Whoops, I think you have been practicing, my boy," said Nimrod with a chuckle.

"Any sport, even fencing's my specialty," Sportacus laughed. Leaning down, Nimrod picked up his straight French grip foil, then thrust its blade under the Spanish grip one that was wrapped with blue around its handle. It shot up and landed in Sportacus grip.

"Sounds good. But wont' it seem… selfish to only protect her?" Sportacus asked. He pulled off his mask, then tossed it back to its niche. Shrugging, the Captain pulled his own mask off, and set it to the side. He continued his own fencing warm-ups with his back to his student.

"No. The children will be under my watch. And if you're out with her moving around and around the children, then you can protect them all at close range," said Nimrod.

"I don't know," Sportacus shrugged. He crossed the room and kicked the wall halfway up. Again, the panels slid down to reveal the wealth of sports equipment held there. Sliding the foil and mask back into their place he grabbed a racket and small blue ball.

"You like Miss Lidenbrock, there's no harm in it. I want her to be happy, and I think you can make her happy if you just give it a chance," said Nimrod. His ears heard the collision of the racquetball against the far-curved wall as Sportacus whacked it with the racket from various positions.

The ball whizzed past the Captain, who dodged it, and caught up the racket that Sportacus tossed him. His foil shot through the air and landed in the nook next to his former student's weapon. Both of them shot across the floor, paddling the whizzing blue ball alternatively. Sportacus complained, "But I don't know how. I mean I can as a hero, but only one person?"

"You deserve a chance at happiness yourself. And I want to give it to you, Sportacus," his friend said. The ball slammed with a good flick of his wrist applied to the racket's handle.

Suddenly the ball bounced off floor, ceiling and then almost hit Sportacus unawares had he not somersaulted and held his racket up to deflect it in time. The blue sphere stopped in the Captain's outstretched gloved hand. He bent on one knee and crouched opposite Sportacus, saying, "Gretchen needs you, and you need her."

This caught the elf's attention. "All right then. However, this was YOUR idea. And if any of the kids are in trouble that you can't get to soon enough, then they come first."

"My boy, that's the very idea. To catch some fish you need a lure. And you and Gretchen will be one of the best ones I can think of," said Nimrod.

"But this isn't one of your fly fishing expeditions!" Sportacus glared at him. He flipped the racket over his hand and then grabbed it again. Snatching the ball away, he hurled it towards the far wall and commenced socking it back with his racket.

"It is. Funny you say that coming from an elf that likes games. This is a more serious one, but I know you will play it for the sake of your charges," he said.

"But hunting… that's a game to some but me… I'm not USED to your sort of sport," Sportacus said quietly.

"Because I hunt, fish, shoot and do outdoor sports doesn't make me any less of one that knows the rules, boy," Nimrod made a face. "I just prefer a bow to a racket or a bat!"

* * *

Gretchen yawned and then heard someone outside her door. A sharp rat-tat told her whoever it was had to be reasonably strong and cheerful. A blush came over her face when she pulled it open then saw who was behind it with surprise. That smiling face and muscular body attached to it caused her to have strange shivers all over her. "Good morning," he waved, through the glass screen door. 

"Sportacus, I'm hardly in trouble," she laughed, then ducked behind the main wooden front door. She peered around it to regard him shyly.

"I thought you'd like to have company on your morning jog!" he said. She noticed the straps of a blue backpack slung around his shoulders. It was the one he used when carrying various sports equipment during his normal rescues.

"Well that's sweet of you, but what if someone's in trouble?" she asked. "Even with your crystal it might take you a few precious minutes to shift gears and with two villains on the loose you can't be EVERYWHERE at once!"

"Ah, well Captain Nimrod said he'd cover for me, for a change," Sportacus admitted. Seeing her yelp and duck behind the door, he felt strange.

"What's the matter?" he asked.

"I am er I need to change," she said with a blush. "Give me a few minutes and I'll put my sweats on."

"I'll wait," he said cheerfully. "Don't forget your running shoes!"

"Um, you could come inside in the meantime and help yourself to some soy milk perhaps? No sense in having you wait out there."

"But it's a nice day!" he laughed, sweeping a bracered arm behind him to show the sunlight dancing through the trees.

"I'm in my robe and pajamas," she groaned, rubbing her eyes.

"What's wrong with that? They look nice," he said, glancing at her sleepwear with a smile. He could not see why she was so worried since every inch of her body was covered with clothing. That robe was extremely modest and covered shoulder to ankle. Even her feet were thrust into small fuzzy slippers. Though the long hair that hung around her shoulders was a bit different and made her face look softer, he wondered if it was one of those things Stephanie had told him.

"Sportacus, that's hardly the point," she said, and he blinked again with incomprehension.

"I mean I wouldn't exactly know considering I don't use them," he stopped. "If you want I can cover my eyes and not look at you?"

"You're silly," she groaned. He covered his eyes with one hand and smiled. Rolling her eyes she opened the door and let him inside. Despite this, Sportacus hand shot forward and gently grasped her wrist. Pulling her forward, he still kept his other hand over his eyes. She felt him press a soft sweet kiss to her cheek before releasing her again.

"I had to say hello," he apologized, stepping back. "So, would you do me the honor of jogging with me?"

"I'll only be a half hour or so," Gretchen assured him. With a shy smile she leaned up and kissed his cheek, and he inhaled her unique scent. Then she rushed upstairs to freshen up and grab the things needed for a workout.

* * *

Through the window a periscope watched. Standing before his scope Robbie Rotten had a small smirk, and then pulled a face. "Ecch. Mush. But enjoy your girlfriend when you can. Because I have company of my own." 

From behind him, a purple haired female glanced over his shoulder. She lay her hand on it and he exchanged an evil smirk. As he walked away he gave her backside a playful swat and she tripped him with a slippered foot. He was not alone these past few years since he had brought Rottonella back to life. The robotic girl kept him company and even gave him ideas for nefarious plots. Yet, he was not the only one sitting down in the lair.

"So, Herr Rotten, how can I be sure that combining our efforts is not a waste of my precious time?" asked the German accented voice sitting in a leather recliner.

"Have patience, Professor. We have only just begun to combine our resources. And you did ask to see my brilliance in action."

"It seems this Sportacus thinks he can throw me off balance by protecting Miss Lidenbrock himself. But that won't help her because that Captain cannot save everyone from what I have planned," said the Professor.

"What WE have planned," Robbie Rotten corrected him.

* * *

By the time Gretchen Lidenbrock was finished changing, she smelled something delicious from the kitchen. Gretchen trotted down the stairs and saw Sportacus poking around in the various cabinets. On the table were two bowls of fruit salad along with a jug of milk and box of muslix cereal. Sportacus was chopping something spicy when she wandered in with a shy face. 

"What's all this?" she asked. Sportacus admired the beige and black tracksuit she wore along with a mint green T-shirt. Her hair was pulled back into a braid for a change making her look ten years younger. It was clear exercise had agreed with her.

"Can't work out without a good breakfast. I thought you wouldn't mind me making it for a change," he said.

"How sweet," she chuckled. Sportacus took her hand gently as he would Stephanie's and led her to sit down. Pulling out a chair for her, he waited for her to sit and then pushed it in. Eagerly she watched him bring two omelets to the table loaded with healthy spices like red and green peppers. He poured her a cup of steaming green tea, sweetened with wild honey and a hint of soy cream. For himself he had poured soy milk she noted. He must have found the container she had bought knowing he would visit.

"Well, dig in," he urged. After a small blessing of thanks she did just that.

"Excellent. I did not think you cooked other then… vegetable dishes…"

"Well this is partly vegan," he admitted. "This is egg whites, and all natural spices and herbs good for antioxidants. The fruit has no sugar; it is just as natural. The milk's actually soy milk, and you can guess the rest."

"You really know how to rescue a gal's breakfast. What sort of 'workout' do you have planned?"

"Something that both of us can enjoy. And if the children wish to they can join in," he nodded.

"Good! After we jog we can rock hunt something I enjoy? Hiking's a sport I like," she winked.

"Ah, naturally. I had forgotten. That's a very GOOD exercise," he said, washing down his bites of health cereal. Gretchen simply let herself enjoy being pampered instead of questioning why Sportacus seemed to go out of his way to be sweet to her. After the kiss last night, it was clear that he wanted to take the relationship to the next step. That was fine with her. Captain Nimrod would have never, unless she was older.

They finished quickly, and Sportacus gently pushed her down to sit when she tried to get up and clear the dishes. "Uh uh, I made the mess I'll clean it up," he scolded.

"What mess?" she asked. Rapidly the dishes were piled, and then put into her dishwasher.

"Ready to go?" he asked. "I've got some fresh water and sports candy in case we need energy."

"I'm not crazy about jogging. But if you insist I'll come," she said.

"Well how about we do an excercize you enjoy instead?" Sportacus offered.

"I love to hike, walk and swim," she said with a smile.

"If you'd like I know of a good place," he said.

"Just let me get my towel and bag," she laughed, rushing upstairs.

* * *


	12. Getting Along Swimmingly

_Disclaimer: I do not own the characters of Lazy Town. They belong to their respective company of the same name. I am just borrowing the characters for this fan fiction. I only own Readsmore and Lidenbrock, but the name of the latter is somewhat inspired by Jules Verne's character from Journey to the Center of the Earth. My thanks to KrysSaiyan for her continued comments! Also thanks to Amethyst11 for her reviews on I really like the ideas that you are giving me! This chapter is a bit more on the serious side though._

**Behind the Crystal**

_**Getting Along Swimmingly **_

* * *

Soon Gretchen Lidenbrock trotted back downstairs with a small gym bag loaded with her change of clothes, towel, and other things. Offering her his arm, Sportacus opened the door and let her go before him. Behind her she closed the door and locked it with the set of keys she kept on a lanyard. Sportacus led the way down the steps, already moving. He made a big point of stretching and limbering up, so she made her best attempt to copy his movements on the front porch.

They took a quick jog during which she tried to keep pace with him. Sportacus did not want to tire her out needlessly and debated if she would care using another mode of transportation. "How far too this swimming place?" she asked him.

"Not far! The mayor had a new pool installed in the gym on Active Street," he said. She followed the number ten logo on the back of his pack as she pumped her arms frantically. He dropped to a slower pace alongside her, urging her on with nods and smiles. Bravely she smiled, sweat pooling everywhere on her body. Sportacus shot out his hand and grasped hers, giving it a squeeze.

"Come on, we're almost there! You're doing great!" he urged.

"All you need… is a set of pomp-poms," she grumbled. With his hand, pulling her along she managed to run the rest of the way towards the steps of the Lazytown gym and racket club.

"Now slow down, let's walk a bit… don't just stop," he instructed. He took her for a small walk around to cool down the pulsing race of her heart and lungs. Then he opened his pack and grabbed a bottle of water to throw her. She clumsily fumbled and caught it, then gulped it down while walking back and forth. Sportacus was right when it came to not abruptly stopping because it would be harder.

"This… is… whoa… I'm not USED to this, but I don't feel bad," she panted. He leaned down, stretching while she attempted to do the same.

"But don't' you feel GOOD?"

"You can't sit still for a minute can you?" she asked, then flopped down to sit on the front steps.

"Your heart and lungs need to slow down gradually so it's better for you body," Sportacus said without even panting. He was sweating a bit but she felt far out of her league with him standing so confidently there and jogging in place. He dropped to do a few sit-ups while she sat there struggling to catch her breath.

"I'm tired already, not to be a pest," she grumbled, swigging the rest of her water down. An apple shot up from nowhere, landing in her lap and making her shriek a bit. A striped cap and goggles shot back up into view with his smiling face and rather charming wink.

"Why didn't you say so? I have plenty of this where it came from," he said.

"Would granola hurt?" she asked.

"As a matter of fact that's a good idea," he said.

"Here you go, _Sportlein_," she said, reaching into her pack and fishing out a granola bar. She tossed it clumsily but he caught it with one upraised hand. Gretchen eagerly tore off the wrapper and devoured the bar. She slipped the apple into her pack. To his slightly disappointed look she said, "I'm saving THIS for later. Carbs are good for quick energy but a sports expert like you should know protein is also…"

"Of course, that's very good. You DO know your nutrition," Sportacus praised her.

"And I do know my strokes," she said, pushing herself up to stand. She was a bit stiff but did not want to show Sportacus how stiff. He pretended not to notice, and took her hand in his again to lead her into the gym/workout center. Yet, he darted around to open the door for her quickly, sparing a glance up at the airship floating in the distance over town hall. His blue eyes narrowed and he saw the light flashing from the end of a scope.

* * *

Far above Lazytown, Nimrod wrapped one hand around the pole, standing nimbly on the platform of Sportacus 10's airship. His other leather-gloved hand clutched the telescope made of brass. Unlike the blue and white one Sportacus had, this was his own fine piece lovingly polished to shine like gold. Hawklike eyes watched Sportacus as he worked out with Gretchen, and he nodded. Then Nimrod turned his scope and angled it down to the playing field. The childern were out kicking a small rubber ball around in a game of kickball. 

"Good. Now let's see if the professor takes the bait," Nimrod nodded.

* * *

Droplets collided with the cement deck around a medium sized swimming pool. Wearing a black one-piece suit, Gretchen hauled herself up the metal ladder. Her dark hair was tucked under a white bathing cap to keep it from drifting in her face. Most people in Lazytown did not bother, but she liked having it out of the way and minimizing the damage from chlorine. She strode to the other end and then jumped off the medium board into the pool. Pressing off from the far wall she flipped over on hr back and pulled her arms in a slow steady backstroke. Easily she floated and glided through the water. Bare legs were cleanly shaved and her skin was moderately tanned though the upper arms and thighs were far paler. Shortsighted eyes were left bare to the pool instead of wearing glasses or goggles. Sparkly sequins were sewn on the front of the suit that came up to just behind her chin and fastened around her neck in back. The back of her suit was covered in a keyhole cut leaving the rest open. 

She had just completed one lap when she heard another splash and droplets of water hit her in the face. A muscular figure shot up from the far end of the pool, using his powerful arms to tug him through the water with a freestyle stroke and kick. As he turned his head to the side she could see his blue bathing cap with twin white stripes around a black, and the familiar goggles covering his face. She only caught hints of the extent of his muscular body as he swam to the end and then flipped over. Gretchen flipped on her stomach, and then started to lash her arms and legs in crawl stroke. Every other stroke took her face partly turned up to peer at the blur that was he. She glimpsed a red and yellow 10 on the hip of his leg, then blue, white, and light blue.

Despite the fact he wanted to be athletic, she guessed he was wearing swimming trunks. They were only slightly loose and flared at the bottom, and held up with a drawstring when he pulled himself out of the water. Powerful thighs, calves thrust up, and he stood on the edge. Then he turned abruptly and strode towards the high diving board. Indeed, they were swim trunks for she saw them clinging to his muscular backside. Like his costume they had twin white stripes enclosing a black one down the sides. The front was dark blue instead of the light blue of his sports pants. Higher up on his left hip was the logo 10 that he always had on most of his clothes and paraphernalia. She spent a minute or two admiring the view, and then returned to swimming laps.

Sportacus arched off the board then sliced into the surface of the water with hardly a splash. Then he shot underwater like a shark to hit the far end of the pool. Gretchen continued her strokes, having flipped on her back to watch him as she moved. Despite her poor vision without glasses she could see enough to know he filled out those swim trunks nicely. Strangely, she expected him to wear Speedo's, but knowing how he wore more modest togs, the trunks made more sense.

A smile crossed her lips and she crossed paths with him indirectly in the other lane. Sportacus lips twisted in a mischievous smirk seeing her swimming so peacefully. He had to admit that he liked the way the suit curved over her backside and generous hips. Although she had some fat on her legs, they were tapered and feminine, and her shape pleasing to the eye. He wondered what her hair looked like wet. So he dove under the rope and followed under her ways swimming on the bottom on his back. Gretchen heard a snapping crack and burbling of the water for sound was magnified several times. Although she did not see Sportacus swimming under her, she suspected something was weird when she saw a shadow. Then two strong hands grabbed her hips and flipped her over on her side.

"Got you!"

"Nice try, _Sportlein_!" she spluttered, trying to shove him off. Wrapping an arm under her legs and back, Sportacus trapped her in his arms and kicked off the side of the pool towards the deep end. Past the lanes, he swam holding her, using his powerful legs alone to move. Gretchen laughed and wrestled against him trying to get away. His hands were almost impossible to break free from, and he was laughing as he dragged her along with him. Once he was over the deep end under the diving board he remained on his back and looked down at her squirming in his arms.

"What's the big idea, eh? I thought we were working out?"

"We are, but while swimming laps is good exercising it's more fun to play a bit," he teased. She grabbed the goggles and tugged them up so she could see his eyes. Distracted, he let go of her with one hand, and she lunged out of his arms holding them by the strap.

"HEY!"

"You missing something?" she laughed, brandishing them aloft. Sportacus dove under, his feet kicking up and he swam after her. She put the goggle strap between her teeth and swam powerfully around the deep end. Something lunged up and grabbed her bathing cap, yanking it off. She yelped and let go of the goggle strap, and the things landed in the water. Fortunately they floated, past where Sportacus held her bathing cap with a flourish of triumph.

"Now the score's even a bit," he laughed, spitting out water. Holding it out he lunged after the goggles. She lunged forwards, kicking her feet and laughing to grab the goggles away. She snatched the goggles before he could rescue them and tossed them up on the side of the pool so they were a ways from the edge. Sportacus retaliated by flinging her bathing cap much further. Soon they were laughing and splashing each other by slapping the flats of their hands hard on the surface. Somewhere in the wrestling match she grabbed his swim cap and yanked it off to reveal his dirty blonde hair and ears sticking slightly out. Gretchen's long braid swirled in the water behind her head like a mermaid's tail and her coppery brown eyes gleamed free of glasses. Again she felt his arms under her and he held her fast. She was surprised when he lifted her up and stood on the bottom, then walked towards the shallower end.

"You're going to go find where you threw those things!" he laughed.

"How do you expect me to find them without my glasses, eh, smarty?" she asked, pushing his bangs out of his eyes. Without any head covering, he looked younger, and shivered at the brush of her hands past the tips of his ears. Gold hair covered his shoulders and chest, and down his arms, two shades lighter then his dark wet mess of waves. He guessed most female humans must shave their hair off, and figured he would ask Stephanie why women did so later. They had strange hang-ups when it came to their bodies that Sportacus did not quite get, compared to females of his kind. Nevertheless humans couldn't easily use magic to change their forms like elf kind, relying on machines and cosmetics instead to hide their old age while elves could feint age with the flick of a hand.

She was more solidly built then an elf, but Sportacus was not exactly a featherweight. As many elves went, he was more of the stocky sort. Not barrel chested and stout like dwarves, but not as long legged and slender as Nimrod's kin does. Most elves from her region were the slender fair-haired ones of Tolken and mythic legend. Her human body was soft and feminine, and she put out a great deal of warmth when he held her against his chest playfully and looked at her clear skin with only a few freckles. Gretchen shivered being so close but hated the fact she could not clearly see him unless she was almost on top of him. Now she was literally and his forward motion made her drape one arm around his neck and bare shoulders as he climbed up the steps still carrying her.

"You can put me down, silly!" she laughed, slapping his bare back. It gave her an excuse to touch the strong prominent muscles. Against her side his muscular chest brushed, solid and hard.

"Not without your glasses! I told the Captain I'd look after you," he said. Then his eyes narrowed and Gretchen saw him swivel his head back and forth. Scrunching her face, she tried to hear a distant musical beeping coming from the side. Without stopping to put her down Sportacus dashed forward so it became louder. He let her legs swing down and then grabbed up the vest that had his crystal case attached to it from the neatly folded pile of his sports clothes.

Gretchen grabbed a towel and wrapped it around her waist, then shoved her feet into a pair of sandals she brought from the locker room. "Someone's in trouble," he muttered. Grabbing the white shirt he pulled it on over his still wet chest, and tugged it over his head, then snatched up his hat. She realized he had a different pair of goggles then felt silly tossing his aside. However, he was still dripping wet so she threw him a towel. He did not waist time trying to pull on the long pants, he simply shoved his feet into a pair of shorter sneaks and socks quickly then tugged his vest with the crystal case on it over the shirt.

"Go on, I'll be fine," she said. Sportacus shook his head but seeing her grab up her clothes and rush to the locker room, he knew she would not listen. Quickly he bundled up his possessions, stuffed them into the back, and rushed after her.

"No time," he said, grabbing her around her waist. She yelped and shrieked as Sportacus dashed out through the gym carrying her swimming suit clad form over his back.

"Sportacus, you idiot! My clothes… my glasses!" she yelped.

"Whoops," he apologized, and then dashed past the chair where she had put her glasses case, and a small change purse with a T-shirt to wear later. He shoved the items into his bag as they went along, darting out and running as fast as he could with her staring down at his fast moving legs. Despite her protests, he raced out carrying her into the bright sunlit day.

"Who's in trouble, Sportacus you put me down! I'm only slowing you down!" she shouted.

"We're in trouble!" Sportacus panted. Suddenly a strange smoke drifted over the windows, blotting out the sun. She smelled something acrid like burning wood, and another oddly sweet chemical. It was definitely one of Professor Drekspatz's smoke bombs, but she hated to think of what would happen next.

He reached up and grabbed something out of his backpack, then twirled it around his hand. Gretchen saw a rod telescope out to the length of a vaulter's pole. Sportacus held her steady with his other, while holding the pole in his right.

"Hold on! I need both hands!" he said. She did so, squeezing her eyes shut. Sportacus dashed forwards then pushed the pole down. She felt a quick sensation of leaping then a jarring as they stopped. Then she felt herself being plopped down on some sort of seat sideways. Still the towel was latched around her hips, and her body shivered from the rush of air. Blinking she realized he had slung her behind him on one of his sky chasers and was quickly pedaling the craft towards his airship. He did not have to ask her to latch an arm around his waist and hang on for dear life.

* * *


	13. Take Me Higher

_Disclaimer: Lazytown belongs to the company Lazy Town, and was created by Magnus Scheving. I'm only borrowing the characters for the fan fiction. I did think of the fan character Gretchen, but her name was inspired by characters in Jules Verne's Journey to the Center of the Earth, which starts off in an Icelandic volcano. My thanks to KrysSaiyan my first reviewer! _

**Behind the Crystal**

**_Take Me Higher _**

* * *

Part one of the hero's plan had been initiated. Sportacus figured the safest place for her would be on the airship with the Captain, if he were still there. Chances were, the Captain had already taken the point and gone after whoever had set that charge. Gretchen was not crazy about heights. Granted she liked climbing the mountains, but being so close to a precipitous drop was terrifying. With slightly blue fingers she clung to the pole and let the airship platform take her up into the belly of the ship. Her eyes fell on the glossy wooden floor of the cabin resembling a gymnasium. She wrapped her arms around her body to hold the towel in place, water still dripping on her damp hair.

Feeling a bit guilty about whisking her away without time to change, Sportacus said, "There's a bathroom there if you wish to freshen up. And till you get back again, you can borrow some of my spare clothing to wear from the closet. Wait here."

Sportacus flipped hand over heels towards one of the wall alcoves. A quick kick of a sneakered toe caused a door to slide open in the wall near the rear. Captain Nimrod was gone for now, but a neat pile of belongings sat in one corner of the open space. Grasping a folded shirt and shorts he stacked them with a blue and white towel. Then he presented her the bundle with a smile.

"As if it would fit me," she wanted to say, but did not because she knew he was trying. Instead she threw him a shaky smile and moved off towards the small bathroom area.

"I've got mail!" Excusing himself Sportacus rushed over to grab a mail tube that popped out of the floor. He removed the letter from the message delivery tube and unrolled it. The Captain's fancy script flowed across the page in a light elegant hand. Sportacus nodded, realizing his mentor had indeed spotted his nemesis, and instructed Sportacus to remain and wait until the next thing happened. That attack at the pool had only been an opening salvo in what could be a very difficult time ahead. Sportacus frowned and moved over to the pilot's chair to look out the forward window and down at the playground below. He knew the children had been told to remain indoors under the auspices for working on their project.

Meanwhile in the shower of the small bathroom Gretchen found towels and soap so she could rinse the chlorine off her body. Granted the herbal shampoos were not her normal fare, but at least they did not have an overly heavy masculine scent. Instead, she smelled pine and rosemary, the two scents that she remembered smelling on his clothes. She felt a bit embarrassed seeing herself in the stark white lighting as she emerged from a nice warm shower. Quickly she wrapped herself in light blue towels that had his 10 logo on them. Most of the personal items were blue or white. She then dried off as best she could and reached for the set of spare clothing Sportacus had provided. On her body the blue and white striped pants seemed different and a bit on the long side. The only thing that really worried her was the lack of a support garment for her chest, and felt rather self-conscious.

Hugging her chest, she strode out. The side door was open, so he must be outside on the ledge looking down at the town. To her left she spotted what looked like her bag, and eagerly rushed over to it. Grabbing the underwear from it, she rushed back into the bathroom, cursing the fact that her spare set of other clothes had somehow fallen out. All she had clothing wise were the sweaty workout sweats that she had worn overtopping her swimsuit. The jeans and button up shirt were probably somewhere lying in a bush but the bra, underpants and socks had been neatly folded in the bottom with her hairbrush.

By the time Sportacus returned and the door shut behind him, he saw her sitting cross-legged on the floor with an awkward smile on her face. "Are you ok?" he asked.

"Sure. Thanks. So what's the Captain say?"

"He figured that you'd be up here, and it was safer for you to stay put if I had to go down to the town. He says he's chasing after the Professor and Robbie, and he's going to try and sneak into their headquarters so he can spy on them for a change," said Sportacus.

"But what do you do then?"

"Wait for them to make their next strike. Or wait for someone else to be in trouble. Basically go on as if nothing happened," Sportacus said.

"But I can't stay up here forever. I've got to teach class on Monday," Gretchen said.

"Very true, but I was thinking it might be better for the plan if you called in sick. Make them think the gas worked on you and that you were home sick somewhere?" he suggested.

"Wouldn't they assume I was on the airship?" she asked.

"Possibly. But till tomorrow it would be safer if you stayed here. Till I either get a signal from the Captain, or someone else is in trouble," he said.

"Are you sure?"

"You can take the bed. I'll just spread out a sleeping bag on the floor," he offered. "It's only fair."

"But what to wear?" she asked.

"Well I normally just sleep in my clothes," he admitted.

"I thought when you said you didn't use pajamas you slept in nothing at all," she said with an odd gleam in her eye. Sportacus blinked, not sure of what she meant. Gretchen then chuckled at his innocent confusion.

"I didn't mean THAT," Sportacus blinked.

"I'm just messing with you, relax," Gretchen nudged his shoulder.

"Well I DO change," he snorted. "A hero can't have a dirty uniform."

Feeling a bit awkward she decided to change the topic. "No offense, but it's rather… empty here. I am used to having my books and other things with me. There's no place for me to even sit."

"Unfortunately I didn't plan for that," Sportacus apologized. "But I'm sure I can find you something to work on."

"If I had a few notebooks, pencils and pens I could at least write or think of some lesson plans," she murmured.

"Paper, that's NOT a problem," he laughed.

"Paper!" A quick shout provided several sheets and a pen, which he eagerly handed her.

"All the comforts of home… at least a superhero home?" she laughed awkwardly.

"And there is the bed you could sit on. I'm sorry, I'm not used to having company," he said, scratching the back of his neck.

"That's all right. At least you're trying," she said, reaching up with one hand. Sportacus pulled her up and led her over to where she could at least sit down on the bed that had swung down from the wall. Sitting on the end of it, she set the sheets of paper down, and the pencils. Nervously she glanced around the white expanse of the airship as if looking for some other distraction.

"I usually exercise all day. That's something you could try to pass the time. It's only for one night, and hopefully we can get you back tomorrow where I can keep an eye on you along with the kids," he said.

"Exercising all day just wears me out," she groaned.

"I am sorry," he said, putting his hand in front of his face. He rubbed his chin and started to pace anxiously. If only he or the captain had brought some books up here she would be more likely to stay.

"Well, this place does make me think of a racquetball court," she said.

"You play?" he asked, his face lightening up.

"I suppose I COULD try your methods of entertainment. But I'm starving," she said nervously.

"Well that's not a problem. Why didn't you say so?" he laughed. She chuckled back, drawing her legs up on the bed to sit Indian style as he sat down next to her.

"SO you cook me dinner as well as breakfast then?" she laughed.

"Just wait here," he said. However he saw her rise and stride over towards the front window where the pilot's seat was, and peer out with great interest.

"What a WONDERFUL view you have up here!" Gretchen suddenly exclaimed.

"You like it?"

"It's beautiful," she said, then rushed back to grab the sheets of paper she had gotten. Sitting cross-legged near the pilot's seat she started to scribble something on it.

"I'll go make us some dinner then," he laughed. Sportacus flipped over onto his hands and stood on them. He walked on them towards the food alcove and shouted, "Table!"

Rapidly he selected the best fruits and started to cut them into pieces. Two bowls sat out on the table, into which he dropped slices of banana, watermelon, pineapple, passion fruit and kiwi. Next he made a fresh garden salad made of spinach leaves, with small pieces of mandarin orange and slices of almond. Pieces of chicken grilled were next to composing a killer chicken salad. The fruit cocktail would make a good desert. Then he sliced several pieces of whole grain bread with jam and soy butter to spread on them.

By the time he was finished he glanced over at what Gretchen was doing so intently. Flipping up onto his hands again he walked towards her. Strangely by doing so he was almost on eye level with her sitting there sketching the landscape of Lazytown. "So you DID find something to do that you like?" Sportacus asked, glancing over her shoulder.

Gretchen dropped the pencil with a yelp. Whirling her head to the side she saw herself nose to chin with an amused Sportacus. Having him look upside down at her was unnerving but endearing. She put her hand over what she was writing, and glared up at him in annoyance.

"No peeking! You have your fun and I have mine!" she pouted.

"Dinner's ready! Would you like to eat it over here?"

"Great," she laughed, rubbing her hands together and getting up.

"No, stay there, I'll bring it over," he laughed, walking back towards the table on his hands again. Gretchen contented herself with admiring the rear view and the contours of his athletic body under the uniform.

Soon he returned carrying a tray laden with food. Setting it down between them he showed her the salads and appetizers. She was surprised that Sportacus actually sat still long enough to eat sitting across the tray from her. Already the sun was close to the horizon and the buildings cast long shadows. How romantic it seemed to be eating with such an aerial view even if it wasn't a fancy restaurant, Gretchen reflected. Two glasses of water washed down the remains of their repast. Sportacus kept a careful eye on the town but neither of them saw any activity.

"Thank you for protecting me, Sportacus. I just hope the children are all right," she said.

"Well since my crystal hasn't gone off, we can assume everything's all right. But it's strange not to have anyone else in trouble," Sportacus mumbled, standing up and resting his hands on his hips. He paced nervously around, then back to her.

"I know it will be all right with Captain Nimrod, and you watching them," she smiled.

Standing up she rested her hands on his shoulders and leaned up with her face turned to the side. Sportacus guessed she was going to kiss him, so he wound his arms around her waist gladly. He liked getting hugs and giving them, and especially enjoyed the closeness with her lately. Somehow giving her an embrace felt like another way of protecting her. He eagerly met her lips with his own and hoped he would not disappoint her. Gretchen's hands slid up and locked behind his neck while her body pressed tightly to his. Sportacus bent his knees slightly so he could be more level with her. Gently he rubbed her back with his strong hands and relaxed into the motion of the kiss.

Then they disengaged and he pulled her so she could rest her head against his chest and enjoy the comfort of his body. Warmth seemed to pour from him along with a strange energy that soothed her nerves. If she closed her eyes she could swear she saw turquoise behind her lids. Popping them open she saw the same glow for a moment off his body. Then it was gone and she thought perhaps it had been an overactive imagination. As if on cue his crystal flashed and they jumped apart.

"Someone IS in trouble!" he gasped. She nodded and he didn't even have to say anything else as she stepped back and gave his hand a gentle squeeze. Nodding he flipped over onto his hands, and then spun towards the center pole leading down. Wrapping her arms around herself she watched him disappear through the floor by sliding down the pole like a fireman.

"Gretchen! Here!" he shouted.

Something shot up through the hole and she barely caught it. To her surprise it was his blue and white telescope. She ran towards the forward window and brought the instrument to her eyes in the hopes of seeing her hero in action. A rapid burst of air told her that he had taken his sky chaser towards the source of the problem.

* * *


	14. Rotten Strikes

_Disclaimer: Lazytown belongs to Lazytown Inc and was created by Magnus Scheving. I am writing this for entertainment only. Captain Nimrod and Gretchen belong to me_! _My thanks to KrysSaiyan my first reviewer!_

Behind the Crystal

* * *

Meanwhile Captain Nimrod had crept after Robbie Rotten and tried to infiltrate their hideout. He was having trouble turning the crank to get down the pipe. Despite his elfish strength, the hatch had stuck. Nose twitching he smelled ozone and realized he had made a grave miscalculation. Seconds before the light flicked on, Nimrod leapt off and darted to the forward part of the billboard to hide from the intense beams. A loud shrilling alarm drilled into his ears.

"Curse it!" he growled. Immediately a periscope popped up, swinging around in the light. The hatch spun open and then someone pushed it up.

To his surprise it wasn't Robbie or the Professor, but a girl dressed in a ballerina costume. Nimbly she leapt down and walked mechanically towards the front door hidden in the board. Nimrod pressed his hands to his ears that were burning with the shrill noise. However the girl was unfazed and swung her head left and right. In her back turned a large key, indicating she was some sort of automaton. Nimrod dashed away, sticking to the shadows.

"Rottenella! What's going on out there!" came Robbie's voice from down below.

"You want me to go after him or what, master?" Rottenella grunted, hands on her hips.

"Go after him! By all means!" came the voice of someone huffing as they climbed up and poked their head out. Robbie Rotten swung his gaze and hid his eyes in the blinding strobes.

"That way," she nodded with a grim smile. However the key suddenly wound down, and she flipped over at the waist. Robbie cursed and slithered down the outside of the access pipe. Quickly he turned the key to wind her up yet again.

"I need to adapt you to use a BATTERY! But I'm too LAZY to buy how many that I'd need!" he lamented. Once she perked up, she marched after the retreating shadow. Robbie dashed after her, intent on finding out if it was Sportakook or the newcomer who had dared invade the sanctity of his lair.

"I can't BELIEVE someone tried breaking in! Isn't there some sort of HERO code against this?" he grumbled. Something trilled and Robbie stopped chasing Rottennella and slumped down in the shade of a tree. She had disappeared past the pools of light in the direction of the invader, and he hoped she was wound tightly enough to figure out who the culprit was.

"Hello!" Robbie shouted, pulling off a shoe. When the phone continued to ring, he wildly patted his pants and then pulled out the slender cell phone that the Professor had given him. "Hello? What?"

"I've just been using your periscope to track whoever it was. And I think our unwelcome guest is my old nemesis. The fact that the shape stopped when it heard the ultra high dog whistle proves it's the Captain," came the Professor's voice.

"Rotenella's after him," Robbie panted. "What sort of HERO I ask you breaks into the villain's lair! Is NOTHING sacred!"

"We'd better put plan C into action. You said that pink haired girl was special to Sportaclutz right? Well you and I can pay a visit to her while Rotenella keeps the Captain busy," said the Professor.

"But what if she winds down?" Robbie groaned.

"My boy, leave the pink menace to me. You take care of the Captain. He doesn't expect your methods, even if they are… different compared to mine. And once the Captain and the pink girl are indisposed…"

"Sportakook will HAVE to come rescue them! Brilliant!" Robbie laughed. Kissing the phone he clicked it off and then slinked off after Rotenella.

Robbie heard his phone ring again, and clicked the talk button. "Yes?" he asked.

"Master," came Rottenella's voice. "I'm right on the heels of our intruder! He's very fast, but he reacted like a hurt dog to the security perimeter!"

"Get after him, Rottenella! Try and stop him till I get there!" Robbie laughed. He huffed, his heart pounding as he rushed in the direction of the phone signal. A beeping on the phone indicated where Rottenella was, and he thanked himself for being clever enough to have a tracer hidden in his creation's robot body.

Meanwhile Rottenella pulled something from her skirt pocket. She saw the shape still holding his ears as he shot across the shadows of the night. Her own eyes were adapted for scanning and her ears adept at hearing the scrape of shoes and the low grunt of someone in pain. Raising the whistle to her lips she blew hard, and continued pirouetting after the Captain. Groaning he doubled up on his side to hear the shrilling directly behind him. A purple shape did a high kick and landed at his side. Rottonella kicked him over and then pushed the agonized woodland elf to the ground. Still kneeling hard on him she struggled to pin him, but he started to fight back.

* * *

Already the Professor puffed and huffed as he climbed out of the hideout. Tossing the capsule down, a small motorbike rose form the mist. He leapt on the conveyance and rode off towards the Mayor's house. Bright lights strobed from around the town, and people who were still up were rubbing their eyes in annoyance. On the Mayor's street a horn beeped and honked, stopping momentarily by Stephanie's front door. When it shot past it circled around the street and then drove past a second time, beeping its horn again. One of the beams from Robbie's lair flashed past the Mayor's windows, and bounced off the mirror near Stephanie's bed. She blinked awake, sitting upright in bed from the loud honking of a shrill bike horn and the luminous flicker blasting in her eyes..

"What the heck is that?" she wondered, rubbing her eyes. In the distance she heard what sounded like a motor scooter going past her house. Sliding out of bed she walked to the window and peered outside. In the distance searchlights were panning the sky, and she wondered when her Uncle had allowed someone to use them.

"Wait, that's the direction of that billboard," she realized. Something went off in her mind, and she debated pushing open the window. Still that motorscooter persisted as it whizzed by, and she hung her head out. A hefty shape was precariously balanced on it, and she realized it was the second or third time the rider had driven by on her street.

Something make a slight whizzing sound, and landed right in the bushes. Stephanie jumped back in shock. Tendrils of what appeared to be smoke shot up and drifted into her window. Choking she held her nose but the smoke intensified. A second object landed right next to her feet, also hissing. Stephanie leapt back, and then something shot around her on several sides. Woozy with the smoke from outside she collapsed on the floor on her side.

A gas masked face appeared behind the smoke, poking his head in the window. A portly body struggled to climb over the ledge. Unfortunately he got caught and toppled forwards inside Stephanie's room. Once he picked himself up, the figure waddled over and dropped to one knee by Stephanie.

The door clicked, and the figure heard the voice of Mayor Meanswell calling, "Stephanie, are you all right! Did you hear that awful racket."

"Curses," Drekspatz grumbled, trying to pick up the girl in his arms. But he was not very strong enough, even to pick up a nine y ear old girl and had to settle for dragging her arms and pulling her towards the window. He tossed another capsule at the door and it popped open, releasing a plastic film that shot around the cracks of the door. As the Mayor tried to open it, the door stuck fast in a substance like taffy.

Bundling Stephanie over the ledge, he let her fall like a sack of potatoes, then heaved his bulky form overtop and landed next to her. Again he struggled to grab her, but a sharp blast of air whooshed against him.

"Stop right there!" shouted an Icelandic accented voice. Sportacus flipped up and over, landing right near the Professor trying to pick Stephanie up.

"Not you," grumbled the masked figure, leaping back. He bolted and ran towards his scooter, apparently forgetting all about the girl Sportacus blocked his access too. Angrily Sportacus spanned his hands and arms, crouching on one leg to shield her.

"What are you doing to Stephanie! Leave her alone!" Sportacus shouted, darting between the man and the fallen girl. He reached for something in his pocket, but Sportacus whipped something out of his pack. The professor aimed the muzzle of a strange squat gun towards Sportacus, which fired a small capsule. As the capsule sailed towards Sportacus he hit the projectile with his tennis racket. Yelping the Professor dodged the smoke capsule whizzing back at him. When he tried firing another, Sportacus dodged forwards and hit that one back too.

"Curse you, you athletic freak!" the Professor shouted in German. Leaping on his cycle, he roared away in the night. Sportacus heard Stephanie moaning, and rushed back to lean over her. She seemed groggy laying there in the front yard, her body wrapped in a strange sticky mess of string. It reminded Sportacus of the party string that Trixie sometimes used to play jokes on people. As he tried to pull it off, it stuck fast.

"Don't worry Stephanie, I'll get you out of this," Sportacus said. Listening at her mouth he heard the rasp of her breath, indicating she was just knocked out from a bomb much like what had hit them before. While he wanted to go after Drekspatz, his concern for Stephanie overrode that. Gently he picked up the girl and ran back into the house.

"Oh dear, oh DEAR!" Milford lamented as he saw Sportacus carrying his niece. "What happened!"

"Somebody broke in and knocked Stephanie out!" Sportacus panted. He gently lay her on the sofa. Mayor Meanswell seemed to be more worried then angry as he rushed over and leaned over the girl.

"Is she all right… how could this happen!"

"I don't know. It wasn't Robbie Rotten, it was someone else. She should be all right, but this is serious," said Sportacus.

"Go after him then! I'll call a doctor, and the police!" the mayor nodded. As Sportacus rushed off the Mayor shouted, "Sportacus!"

What?"

"Thank you," said the Mayor, pulling out a cellphone from his robe pocket and dialing it as he leaned near his niece.

"You're welcome!" Sportacus smiled. Apparently the Mayor was no longer angry with him with that thankful expression on his jovial face.

* * *

"Get OFF me!" grunted the Captain. He pushed up, knocking the robotic girl off him and darting towards the trees. This dislodged the whistle from her lips and she tumbled over and sat up blinking in surprise.

"You won't get away," she said, leaping quickly to her ballet toes. Nimrod raised his crossbow, fitting a bolt to it as he aimed towards her.

"I don't attack ladies, but you're no lady, you mechanical toy," he said, voice tight with pain. Still his ears rung from that blasted whistle she had pulled on him. For once he cursed his elfish sense of hearing.

"Give me your best shot, gramps," Rottenella taunted. A bolt shot forwards, whizzing past her. But she leapt to the side. Another slew of bolts shot close to her, meaning to pin her to the wall, but only one snagged her tutu and knocked her back. Rotenella sailed backwards, landing flat against the nearest house. As he fitted another bolt, Nimrod did not notice Robbie Rotten creeping around the side of a building.

"No you don't, you hood!" Robbie shouted. He reached for a small object in his pocket, and aimed it at the other hero. It telescoped into a large blunderbuss which Robbie tucked into his shoulder and aimed.

Nimrod's ear twitched but he still let the bolt fly. This time it snagged the other side of her tutu, pinning her more firmly to the house. But Rottenella seemed unfazed as she jerked her body in an attempt to pull the bolts out. Simultaneously Robbie fired his bizarre weapon, and a goopy mess shot out the front hitting the woodland elf in the side of his face. It smelled like lemons and bananas, and caked to the side of his hat and coat.

"You think that's going to stop me?" Nimrod blinked. Robbie cackled and pulled the trigged again, barely managing to hit the hero with another round. Most of the gloop landed in the grass.

"No, but this will!" Robbie laughed, firing again. Nimrod shook his head, then suddenly slipped in the stuff Robbie had missed hitting him with. Landing clumsily the woodland elf suddenly felt another splotch of the mess hit him point blank in the face. To his horror he tasted sugar, and struggled to spit it out.

"Ahahah, you're just like Sportakook!" Robbie laughed, leaping up and down as the captain started to convulse and thrash. Nimrod felt himself blacking out as he crashed from the infusion of sugar.

"Why you…" he spluttered, then his eyes fluttered shut and his body went limp. Laughing maniacally, Robbie Rotten danced up to Rottenella and struggled to pull the bolts that pinned her like a butterfly to the wall.

"Oh I'm BRILLIANT! To think there are TWO health nuts who are allergic to SUGAR! It's a dream come TRUE!" Robbie howled with delight. Rottenella blinked, clearly unimpressed as he freed her from the wall and she stiffly jerked her arms and legs to move them.

"What took you so long, master?" she asked, glaring at him. Just then the key in her back stopped turning, and she doubled over. Robbie slid his arm under her waist and dragged her off after him, chuckling maniacally as he blew a raspberry at Nimrod.

"Who's the man!" Robbie exhaulted. He then stopped, setting Rottenella down. Flicking his head from side to side he suddenly whirled around.

"Wait a minute what am I doing? If this archery doo gooder is a friend of Sportakooks, that means he'll do anything to save him. Who needs the pink girl when I have this Robin Hood reject?" Robbie asked. He turned back to Rottenella and started to wind her again. After all she could help him drag the other elf back to his lair so he could figure out what to do next. Soon with Rottenella's reluctant help, Robbie tugged the Captain back by his cape towards the billboard.

* * *


	15. From Playing Rotten to Dirty

_Disclaimer: Lazytown belongs to Lazytown Inc and was created by Magnus Scheving. I am writing this for entertainment only. Captain Nimrod and Gretchen belong to me as does Professor Drekspatz_! _My thanks to all my reviewers so far! The capsules are not my idea either, I borrowed them from Dragon Ball Z.

* * *

_

**Behind the Crystal**

**From Rotten to Dirty**

On the way there, the moped bearing the Professor ground to a stop. He pulled off his mask and saw Robbie and the ballerina girl Rottenella lugging a prone shape. "Wait a minute!" he called.

"Where were you!" Robbie huffed, wiping sweat from his brow angrily. He tapped a spatted foot.

"You got the Captain?" gasped the Professor, rushing over to shine a flashlight in the Captain's face. Covered in whipped cream and custard, the woodland elf was comatose and limp in Rottenella's grasp. She had him by the boots and Robbie had lugged him by the shoulders.

"Yes! How about THAT!" he laughed.

"This is far better then that pink nuisance. I'm sure the athletic elf will have a fit when he finds out what has happened to his mentor," the Professor laughed.

"It was MY idea first!" Robbie pouted.

"Well then you can help me carry him back to the hideout and we can get moving!" laughed the Professor.

"What do you mean? I thought we could use him as bait to lure Sportakook, and then force him to promise to leave Lazytown forever!" Robbie blinked back.

"My boy, let's go now!" said the Professor. Tossing him a mask, he pulled his own on, and then fired his capsule gun. A thick cloud of smoke shot up, masking their retreat. Out of the night Sportacus flipped towards the source of the voices.

He narrowed his eyes, hearing the two villains arguing. Unfortunately the smoke choked and blinded him from following. His crystal flared and beeped frantically as he tried to see what they were dragging. Then as he concentrated, his crystal flared blue and went silent. "Oh no," Sportacus gasped. He raced back towards his skychaser, leaping in and using it to fly above the smoke.

As he approached Robbie's hideout, he saw something explode out of another cloud of smoke. Then two figures followed by a third emerged from the lair, and then walked towards a strangely shaped aircraft that had arisen from the smoke. Robbie Rotten was shouting angrily and waving his arm at another shape who was dragging the prostrate form of his mentor Captain nimrod. Angrily Sportacus gunned the skychaser and leapt down.

"You can't be serious! I was the one who stopped him!" Robbie shouted, running over and grabbing Nimrod's boots.

"Let go you stupid fool! He's MY nemesis! Get your own!" the Professor shouted.

"Rottenella, help me stop him!" he shouted.

"Don't be foolish girl! Why work for him when I'll treat you far better! I'll upgrade you so you won't have to be wound again!" the Professor shouted back. The Ballerina glared at Robbie and then pushed him away with one hand. Gasping, the villain hit the ground and Rottenella grabbed the device Robbie had used.

"Stop!" Sportacus shouted. Robbie Rotten pushed himself up, and saw Sportacus flipping towards them. Aiming his weapon, the Professor fired towards the sports elf and accidentally hit Robbie with his capsule. Sportacus twisted himself and pushed Robbie aside just as the capsule exploded. Grinning, the Professor motioned to Rottenella, who grinned back. She marched over and picked up Nimrod's boots to help shove him into the plane. Soon a whoosh of a jet engine blasted the smoke away, and the craft shot across the fields to sail like a bird into the night.

* * *

From high above in Sportacus' airship, Gretchen clawed the blue and white telescope nervously. Her heart sank to see Captain Nimrod disappear, and anxiously she wondered if she should go and help. Unfortunately Sportacus had not told her how to open the ladder to get down. Effectively she was stuck although perfectly safe. Worse yet she had no idea where the ropes or other equipment were stored other then one of the closets. 

Quickly she rushed towards the back of the airship. She recalled Sportacus touching his feet to various panels to get items to eat. Her eyes narrowed on the small almost invisible circles on the floor. Experimentally she touched one with a sneakered toe then heard a resulting whir and yelped at the soccer ball shooting at her. It knocked her back on her rear. Groaning she sat up and then struggled to her feet. A quick scan of the cabin yielded no phone or anything else helpful. A quick glance at her wristwatch told her it was eight at night.

"Sportacus, please come back!" she pleaded, sinking down to the bed and dropped her head into her hands. Eventually she curled up on the bed and decided the best thing she could do was try and rest, hopeful he would return.

* * *

Morning dawned and Gretchen leapt up. She raced toward the forward port again with the scope. Still there was no sign of Sportacus. However she did spot the Mayor's grandstand unfurling in the town square. People were congregating, and Gretchen focussed the scope down. If she could just move the ship somehow she could at least get a better view. So she moved over to the pilots seat and dropped into it, trying to puzzle the controls. Oddly enough the console resembled a pedal car and she grinned. Was it that simple? All she had to do was pedal the thing and somehow move it enough so people could see it, and hope Sportacus was among them. 

_Easier said then done_ when she pushed the pedals. She encountered a lot of resistance that reminded her of trying to pedal a bike in a science museum, the sort attached to a generator that would make a TV light up. Still she gave her best and was rewarded by the airship gliding forwards. Every few minutes she rested, then went to grab some orange juice out of the fridge she'd figured out how to open. Finally the ship stopped over the town square.

She stumbled over to the panel she remembered seeing sports equipment in. Reaching up she tagged the panel with her hand and it slid open. Golf clubs, baseball bats and other sports paraphernalia abounded but no rope. Another closet yielded yards of rope and climbing equipment. Gretchen smiled, grabbing lengths of rope and then some pitons. She rushed towards the middle of the floor where the pole would drop.

"Open… hey…" she shouted.

"Darn it. What did he say. Down!" she shouted. Still the craft wouldn't listen. Grumbling she narrowed her eyes and deepened her voice. Again she shouted the command varying her voice enough so it matched his. Finally the ship must have been satisfied enough because the platform opened up and she grabbed the pole to slide down. Wrapping the rope around the pole, she then fastened it to the swami belt and then tried to rappel down.

Being the daughter of a geologist had its perks. Especially when she had picked up some rock climbing. Unfortunately it had been years since she had done it. Slowly she lowered herself on the rope, praying that she could hold her own strength up. Finally her feet touched ground and she unhooked the rope. The gathered group groaned in disappointment to see her.

"We thought you were Sportacus!" Stephanie said, rushing over.

Sheepishly Gretchen moved over and rested a hand on Stephanie's shoulder. "I couldn't get down! Where is he?"

"We're trying to find him, since last night! Something terrible has happened!" said Stephanie, wringing her hands. She moved closer to the teacher and accepted the woman's arm around her shaking shoulders while putting her arm around Gretchen's waist. Both of them stood close gaining comfort from one another's presence.

"Oh my you seem fine, but er… where is Sportacus?" asked the Mayor.

"Sportacus was trying to keep me safe but I couldn't get the ship to let me down," she complained. "Where's the Captain?"

"He's gone missing!" said the Mayor. Stephanie saw the distress on her teacher's face and gave her a sympathetic squeeze.

"Oh no!" she gasped. One of the other kids rushed up, holding up what looked like the Captain's hat, and something else. Clutching it she felt her heart sink. The chief of police was there, and he moved up next to see her.

"Miss Lidenbrock, can you tell us anything?"

"I can tell you what I saw from the airship," she confirmed. Everyone was staring at her strangely and she realized it was because she was wearing a set of Sportacus pants and shirt. She related her eyewitness account which the officer wrote down on his pad of paper.

* * *

Elswhere two figures lay side by side in the light of the rising son. One of them blinked up into daylight. He blinked up into daylight. Rolling over he saw Sportacus out cold, turned on his side away from him. Long furrows left by the landing gear of the jet cast twin lines across the huge field behind Robbie's hideout and he stumbled to his feet. 

"Oho my HEAD," Robbie groaned. Wildly he glanced around, unable to find any trace of his former guest.

"That UNGRATEFUL… of all the…" Robbie shouted, kicking a rock. "How DARE he take MY hostage! Is there NO justice among villains?"

Angrily he kicked another rock, but overreached and stumbled, landing on his backside. Groaning he climbed to his feet and shouted a slew of curses as he shook his fist at the morning sky. He didn't hear the rustling of the grass till Sportacus groaned. Robbie whirled his head around and dashed over to Sportacus. Dropping to his knee he shook his head.

"You stupid goon! You were supposed to STOP them! I had the perfect plan and you didn't show up in time! Some hero you are!" Robbie yelled at him.

"Stop shouting," Sportacus groaned, blinking up.

"Stupid sports elf!" Robbie snapped, grabbing Sportacus and shaking him. "Wake up! Wake up!"

Sportacus suddenly blinked up at Robbie leaning over him. Was he crazy or did the villain seem awfully worried. Frantically Robbie grabbed Sportacus by the shoulders and hauled him up to a sitting position. Shaking his head, Sportacus coughed at the aftereffects of the sweet tasting gas. "What happened… it's morning already… wait… the Captain!"

"Snap out of it, Sportanerd! Your friend's GONE, thanks to that Professor! He TOOK my hostage! How DARE he! And I was going to use him to force you to promise to leave Lazytown forever!" Robbie shouted.

"Robbie, are you actually trying to help me?" Sportacus gave him a smile. Robbie jumped back and rubbed his hands on his striped pants, recoiling in horror.

"Well… maybe I am! So WHAT!" Robbie spat back as Sportacus slowly stood up. He stumbled a bit, and oddly enough Robbie darted over and grabbed the sport elf's arm. Again Sportacus cast him a confused look and the villain snarled at him. Unfortunately he was still shaky on his feet and leaned heavily as he almost crashed into Robbie.

"Whoops… I can hardly stand up… whatever that Professor hit me with… I can hardly walk straight. I must help… the Captain," Sportacus panted, his eyes filled with pain. Robbie felt a twinge of guilt in his dark heart and struggled to push his own body under and drag the elf to his feet. Finally he swung Sportacus arm around his neck and dragged him alongside of him.

"Get up you silly idiot! You've GOT to get moving!" Robbie shouted. "You're supposed to be able to fend off whatever that smoke is! You're heavier then you look!"

"You're helping me," Sportacus laughed lightly. "You're not so rotten after all!"

"Grrr, shut up! If you tell ANYONE about this I'll drown you in custard!" Robbie growled. Sportacus had clung to the front of the villain's vest and tried as well as he could to hobble.

"If you help me stand up, and get me some sports candy… I'll be fine," Sportacus panted. Glaring at him Robbie Rotten half dragged the hero towards his hideout. Panting, he pushed Sportacus down in the shade of his billboard and glared at him.

"You stay THERE. I'll get your stupid… disgusting sports candy. But you'll tell NOBODY about this, hear me! NOBODY!" Robbie snapped, shaking a finger in his face. Sportacus laughed lightly, looking up at him in gratitude.

"There's an apple tree not far away," Sportacus pointed.

Angrily Robbie ambled off, cursing and spitting under his breath. With interest Sportacus saw a blush on the man's pallid face. He wondered why Robbie was helping him when he had been in cahoots with the Professor. Yet he didn't question his good fortune when the villain returned holding an apple by the stem like it was a poisonous beast.

"Here, here's your stupid… apple! Eat it and GO!" Robbie snarled, dangling it in Sportacus face. Weakly Sportacus reached up and took it from his nemesis, his fingers brushing Robbie's. Yelping the villain tugged his hand away and rubbed it as if he was afraid of germs.

"Thank you, Robbie," said Sportacus, biting and swallowing anxiously. Within a few seconds he had finished it. Robbie continued to glare at him, crossing both arms over his chest and tapping his foot.

"Now, you'd better go after him, and help him, I suppose," said Robbie.

"But who's going to take care of Lazytown then," Sportacus blinked. "I haven't the slightest idea where they took him! What was the Professor going to do to him?"

"Something nasty no doubt," Robbie Rotten glared at him. A cruel smile came over his face. "And the sooner you leave and rescue him, the better for me!"

"So you're not helping me because you're worried?" Sportacus asked.

"This gets rid of you for a while," Robbie laughed, clapping his hands and pacing a half circle around Sportacus. He leapt to his feet, and rested his hands on his hips. Angrily he shook his head at Robbie.

"What a shame. I thought you actually cared," said Sportacus looking dejected.

"I didn't say I didn't… I mean… WHATEVER!" Robbie shouted back. "I mean so what if you leave. You'll just come back anyway!"

"I will, Robbie. You can count on it," said Sportacus, moving over and slugging him on the back. Robbie yelped and tried to push him away.

"Ech, stop it! I'm NOT being nice, and I don't care!" Robbie shouted, his face flushing crimson.

"Well if I find you've done some awful mischief when I'm gone, I'll be rather upset. And just because the Captain has been taken doesn't mean that I will stop protecting Lazytown," Sportacus tapped his chin and paced back and forth. Then he stopped and wheeled on Robbie.

"What are you looking at, Sportaflop!" Robbie snapped.

"Unless you come with me and I can keep an eye on you," Sportacus laughed.

"Don't you DARE! I'd rather eat your stupid sports candy! I won't go! You're on your own!" Robbie spluttered.

"But you were the one who brought him here. And I can't leave you alone. And you must have some way of knowing where this Professor would take my friend. So you're coming with me," Sportacus said, grasping Robbie's arm and tugging him gently.

"You can't make me!" Robbie spluttered.

"I wouldn't say that," Sportacus said, grabbing the villain and throwing him over one shoulder.

* * *


	16. Fed Up

_Disclaimer: Lazytown belongs to Lazytown Inc and was created by Magnus Scheving. I am writing this for entertainment only. Captain Nimrod and Gretchen belong to me_! _My thanks to KrysSaiyan my first reviewer, and to Anita and everyone else who's reviewed!_

**Behind the Crystal**

**Sportacus Gets Fed Up****

* * *

**

Robbie shrieked and pounded Sportacus on the back as the sports elf carried him into the town square where the others of Lazytown had assembled. As usual Mayor Meanswell stood behind a podium but he was flanked by police officers. A police cruiser was parked in the street just in front of the platform. The Mayor swung around and rushed down from his platform when Sportacus arrived with his noisy captive. Simultaneously the Captain of police and two officers rushed up when Sportacus dropped Robbie Rotten on the ground.

"Sportacus!" chorused Stephanie and Gretchen. They both almost knocked Sportacus over when they rushed into his arms. Reaching down Sportacus picked Stephanie up with one arm and gave her a hug of her own while Gretchen moved back. Yet then he extended his other hand and pulled the science teacher next to him.

"I didn't do it!" Robbie denied.

"Put that man under arrest!" the Mayor shouted. Two policemen flanked Robbie Rotten who sat sulking on the ground and glaring at Sportacus.

"Captain Nimrod's gone missing!" Gretchen cried. Sportacus let Stephanie slide to the ground. Still he held her hand.

"I know! The Professor took him," said Sportacus. One of his arms wrapped around Gretchen and the other held Stephanie close to his hip to hug them with relief.

"Where IS he, you horrible demented jerk!" Gretchen snarled, separating herself from Sportacus and marching over to him. Seeing the venom in her face Robbie backpedaled a bit, wincing as if she had hit him. Obviously the other hero meant a great deal to the science teacher, and Robbie had a suspicion why.

"I SAID it wasn't my fault!" Robbie snapped.

"I swear if he's hurt… you'll pay, Herr Rotten!" Gretchen narrowed her eyes at Robbie and wagged a finger at him. That schoolteacher from heck persona hit Robbie with a vengeance and he cringed. By now Stephanie had released Sportacus hand and wandered over to stand near her friends to the mayor's left.

"He took him away in his aircraft! I don't know where! But he took Rottenella too!" Robbie whimpered.

"Rottenella?" Stephanie and the others blinked.

Pixel said, "You mean that dancing girl from the contest?"

"Yes," said Robbie angrily. "Now let me go!"

"You'll have to stay in jail till we sort this all out, Mr. Rotten," said the Captain of police. "Shall I take him away, Mayor?"

"I need him to find Captain Nimrod," Sportacus said.

"Wait you don't need him for that," Gretchen said. "Surely there must be SOME other way to find out where they went. I mean Robbie invited the Professor, and they are BOTH inventors so there must be SOME way to track him!"

"Where would he take the Captain, Gretchen?" asked Sportacus.

"There's many places," said Gretchen with a weary sigh. "The problem is narrowing them down. They've got a big head start on us."

"How do you think I feel, huh? I want my doll back!" Robbie glared.

"Wait, don't you have some way of knowing where she is if she got lost?" asked Pixel.

"What was that, Pixel?" asked Sportacus, glancing at the gizmo guy.

"Well, from what you guys told me he saw the Captain in the dark. But Robbie Rotten knew where Rottenella was, and he doesn't run that fast…" said Pixel.

"So what?" Robbie glared at him.

"Maybe he has a tracking device in the robot? If he's so worried about losing her, and if I was him I'd build some way of keeping track of my inventions. I started putting microchip tracers in all of my gizmos since Robbie Rotten stole my remote control! And I'm sure Robbie does the same, right?" asked Pixel.

"So what?" Robbie snorted. He fixed his gray eyes on the boy hoping to stun him, but that didn't necessarily work on the gizmo kid. Judging from his guilty expression Robbie confirmed Pixel was right.

"Well then does that explain this phone?" asked Pixel holding up a cellular phone decorated with purple and red stripes. There was no question whose it was.

"Give me that!" Robbie reached for it, but the policemen grabbed his shoulders and pushed him down on his knees.

"It fell out of your pocket," Pixel said. He pointed with one computer clad finger to a small blinking light on the cell phone's LCD screen with the word Rottenella beside it.

"You're joking, you mean you can track that mechanical girl with that thing, Pixel?" Sportacus asked.

"All right, that's what it does! Wherever she's going is where the Professor is," Robbie snickered.

"Pixel, can you figure out how to make this give a GPS reading?" asked Sportacus.

"I think so. Just a few adjustments here… and there we go," Pixel mumbled.

"FINE! You can have the stupid phone, just don't drag ME along! And bring her back because I paid good money bringing her back into my service, the ungrateful tin can! Just hit the letters GPS and it will give you a fix!" Robbie glared resentfully at Pixel.

"Thank you Robbie. Was it that hard to be helpful?" Sportacus thanked him.

"Keep away from me all of you!" Robbie snorted. He held his cuffed hands up to block anyone who would come close. "If you're going to take me to jail, put me in a QUIET cell!"

"Oh we will, Mr. Rotten," said the police chief. "C'mon right this way sir. We've got a nice dark remote cell somewhere we can put you till you go to trial for abducting and attacking a town hero!"

"How about arresting that Captain Nimrod for trespassing?" Robbie spluttered back, flailing long legs and arms.

"The hero code says that he's allowed to do it if the villains pose a threat to the town," Sportacus said, giving Robbie a dangerous look from his glacial blue eyes. Robbie cringed to see the normally docile and fun-loving Sportacus cast him such a hateful gaze.

"I'm SORRY, I didn't KNOW he'd go to such extremes! I just brought him here to make all of you shut up so I could take a NAP!" Robbie whined.

"C'mon, this way Mister Rotten!" the police said, tugging on his arms and walking him between them. Moping, Robbie sniffled as they marched him towards the police cruiser that had parked near the Town hall.

"Robbie, Robbie, Robbie, I feel sorry for him," sighed Sportacus, shaking his head with closed eyes and arms folded over his chest, as he always did whenever Robbie was revealed as the mastermind behind a botched plot.

"How can you feel that way after what he did, Sportacus?" Stephanie glared at Sportacus. Still she kept hold of Gretchen's hand and the teacher shushed her.

"Stephanie, because his motives weren't as evil as this Professors were," said Sportacus quietly. "Right, Gretchen?"

"Robbie Rotten is a tame pussycat compared to the Professor, who is much like a tiger," said Gretchen angrily. Stephanie shivered and squeezed her teacher's hand more tightly.

"Mayor, is it all right if I leave Lazytown for a while to go after my mentor?" Sportacus asked. "With Robbie in Jail I hope things can stay reasonably active."

"Go ahead with my blessings," said Meanswell. "Of course!"

"Uncle, can I go with him?" asked Stephanie.

"I'm sorry Stephanie, but you can't. It could be dangerous," Meanswell whispered, taking her hand and pulling her to his side.

"Stephanie, the Mayor's right. You'd be safer here. As much as I'd love the company, this is a much more serious enemy I'm fighting," said Sportacus gently. Stephanie started to cry, burying her face in her uncle's chest. Gretchen felt guilt surround her and Pixel moved over to Stephanie's other side, putting a hand on her shoulder and giving it a squeeze. Sportacus dropped on one knee and reached a hand out to her. She gave him a hug and a kiss on the cheek, burying her face in his shoulder.

"Stephanie, say goodbye to Sportacus," said Meanswell quietly. "If you were older perhaps I wouldn't say no. But you're still just a little girl, and I'd be worried sick!"

"Please bring him back in one piece!" Stephanie turned to Gretchen who stood there uncomfortably shifting her weight from foot to foot.

"I… well… okay," Gretchen coughed. Stephanie gave her a big hug and then ran back to her uncle's side.

"I suppose you'll want to go with him then?" asked the Mayor. "I can have Miss Busybody fill in for your class."

"I don't know," said Gretchen nervously.

"I need your help," Sportacus said quietly. "You are the only one here that knows how the Professor thinks other then Robbie Rotten. And since taking him is out of the question…"

"I'll need a few minutes to pack," Gretchen said.

"I'll meet you in half an hour at your home," Sportacus said, giving her a kiss on the cheek. She blushed as Trixie giggled and pointed, and Pixel hid his grin. Stephanie was too busy hiding her face in her uncle's shoulder to notice. Sighing, Meanswell dismissed the crowd and walked back towards his home with his arms around his niece protectively. Bessie and Mrs. Readsmore nodded at Gretchen, who swallowed hard when Sportacus flipped away from the square. As she walked to her house some of the kids chased along after her.

"Wow, you're going to go on a mission with Sportacus?" Ziggy gasped. "That's so cool!"

"Does that mean we still have to turn in our reports Wednesday?" Stingy asked.

"Yes. I'm sorry children, I'll be gone for a while," Gretchen said.

"Hey that's okay. Just take care of him ok?" said Trixie. The students shook hands or hugged her as she left to gather things together.

Her heart pounded with fear for her town hero, and excited disbelief Sportacus had chosen her to accompany him on a mission to save the Captain. After all that Nimrod had done in the service of her town and for her brothers it was only fair she would do all in her power to make sure he was free again. Even if it didn't seem like much.

"I'm not a superhero or even a slightly above average one, but Sportacus says he needs me, and the Captain would want it that way," said Gretchen, squaring her shoulders and marching into her house. Before long she had changed into hiking clothes and sturdy boots, and assembled a variety of geological tools and a change of clothes in one of her sturdiest backpacks. Swinging it over one shoulder she marched down the stairs to wait for Sportacus.

* * *


End file.
